Just A Woman

[Whidbey Island, WA, 2012. Artist's book, one of 12 copies only, each signed and numbered by the artist, all on 1-ply museum board (triple layered), the figure of Marian Anderson made from 100% black cotton rag, a series of double-sided paper dolls, with the faces of the women on photo paper, and their costumes of Liberty Lawn fabrics. Page size: (the figures are the pages so 24pp.) each figure about 10 inches tall, those with hats about 11 inches; box holding base and two trays of paper dolls is 12-7/8 x 14.5 x 3 inches; triangular display stand is 13-3/8 x 13-3/8 x 13-3/8 inches; 12 inches high from bottom edge of base to tip of triangle. Dealing with the achievements of American women, Ms. Wascher-James has created a "show-and-tell" display of figures of notables, with facsimiles of the U.S. postage stamps signifying their iconic status (printed on special paper for longevity), mounted on the front of the figure. The text below the stamp is printed on special fabric in Perpetua Titling-bold-6pt. On the reverse is a larger text again printed on fabric in the same font further detailing that woman's achievements. Housed in a blue cloth over boards clamshell box, yellow gros-grain ribbon on top with title printed on white fabric collaged on to fabric blouse and pants all Liberty Lawn fabrics in blues and reds on white grounds, the figures of the 12 women are placed flat within board guides. There are three across and two deep, and there are two such boards. Also enclosed is a triangular mounting board, along with a diagram showing the placement of the women within the stand. When mounted, the women are joined at the hand to create an accordion that is double sided.
Elizabeth Blackwell, Edith Wharton, Frances Perkins, Mary Cassatt, Abigail Adams, Marion Anderson, and Belva Lockwood all have on dresses or suits of Liberty Lawn fabric and their is lace incorporated on the clothing. They alternate with Martha Gelhorn, Rachel Carson, Dorothea Lange, Jacqueline Cochran, and Katherine Hepburn who are in pants and blouses or jackets in Liberty Lawn fabric. For example, the Elizabeth Blackwell image (on side with stamp) reads, "In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to achieve a medical degree in the United States." On the reverse, the text reads, "In 1857, Elizabeth Blackwell opened the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, a full scale hospital. Then in 1868, she established a women's medical college at the infirmary to train women physicians. The remainder of her life was devoted to the promotion of hygiene and preventive medicine." The The "chain" of American women - portrayed in paper dolls with their postage stamps pictured and with text elaborating their accomplishments dressed in Liberty Lawn fabrics is an unusual book structure. Much like the accomplishments of these ground-breaking women, it defies categorization but is to be admired.