Jane, Rebecca & Molly (Rediscovered)

Jane, Rebecca, and Molly (Rediscovered) - Altered commemorative plates, three 3” diameter plates, In the collection of Linda Marcus

In the early 1980’s, the Bradford Exchange produced “Rediscovering Women”, a plate series featuring early Norman Rockwell illustrations of caucasian women carrying on in joyful domesticity. With titles like, “Making Believe in the Mirror”, “Waiting at the Dance”, “Gossiping in the Alcove”, “Working in the Kitchen”, and Flirting in the Parlor”, it is easy to wonder what the cause for discovery was. In the illustrations, each woman is subsumed by her context; the environment she in habits seems to be most effected by the formal arrangement of her body amongst furniture, fabrics and dogs.

In 2012, I altered three plates from this collection to create Jane, Rebecca & Molly (Rediscovered). By giving each woman a first name and removing male gaze, these women are brought to the front of their own narratives.