To many people, this pose has become synonymous with James Cameron's dramatization of the Titanic disaster in film, and by extension Titanic itself. The film made it so real, that I find it difficult to separate the authentic from the imagined. And I've been hearing that some people hadn't even known that the film was based on history.
One hundred years ago today, the Titanic ocean liner has sunk on her maiden voyage in the Atlantic ocean, taking 1514 people down with her. For 73 years no one knew exactly where she lay, until she was found in 1985 and the world was captivated by the tragic and hauntingly beautiful photographs of Titanic's wreck.
One of the images from the deep, was a porcelain doll head resting on the silty bottom, lingering sadly on, while the girl who had once loved it was long gone. This image is so poignant and profound, that it inspired me to work with porcelain. I was intrigued by the longevity this material offered and was eager to create dolls that could outlast generations, underwater if necessary. In fact, seeing this photograph was so influential for me, that I have a chapter in my book dedicated to it.
The doll posing as Rose is my second rubenesque doll. Her name is Aurum, which means Gold in Latin. She is mine. And very photogenic.