Hannah Woodcock, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 1778 1963

Curator: This is Ann Parker’s depiction of the gravestone of Hannah Woodcock from Williamstown, Massachusetts, dating to 1778. Editor: It's striking. The texture is so earthy, and the figure has an almost ethereal quality, like a spirit emerging from the stone. Curator: These gravestones were significant cultural artifacts, reflecting Puritan beliefs about death and the afterlife, often commissioned by the family. Editor: The simplified, almost abstracted human form seems to speak to the constraints placed on female representation at the time, yet it holds its own power. Was this one also made by a woman? Curator: That's part of what makes it exceptional; it’s highly unusual to find these early gravestone depictions made by women. Editor: It really pushes us to rethink art history's traditional boundaries and who gets to shape visual culture. I appreciate Parker's work in preserving a piece of overlooked history.