Lullaby, By William Robinson Leigh

Lullaby by William Robinson Leigh represents a Native American mother leaning over her child. Her arms bracket the cradleboard, holding it still and secure. She looks down into the cradle, face soft and pleased. The fire in front of her casts a warm illumination, emphasizing her loving gaze. Her red wrapped braids bracket her face, standing out from the brown and white of her dress. The shoulders of her dress have four lines of white beading made form smaller lines of beading. The white repeats in the color of her dress, a white triangle reaching down from her neck to her chest. Covering a section of the collar, a red beaded necklace with a small metal disk in the center lies along her collarbone. Her dark brown dress blends into the background with beaded details standing out. The white, blue and red diamond beaded stripe down the front of her dress mimics the pattern beaded onto the cradleboard. Her moccasin covered feet peek out below her dress pointing to the fire.
The light from the fire curves over the cradleboard, highlighting it as the brightest point in the painting. Blue triangles with inlaid red triangles interrupt the white background, making the white diamonds stand out. Shadows cast by the
Lines reach from the vague break from the floor to the top of the picture plane, creating a feeling of structure and shelter. The figures seem to be in a hut or other housing structure. The mother casts a strong, dark shadow against the structure enclosing the figures, which encompasses the right corner of the picture plane, contrasting with the brightness of the fire in the lower left. The fire lies in the foreground, inches away from the mother’s feet. The small pile of dark brown sticks contrasts with the bright yellow and orange of the fire. Although small, the fire illuminates the whole picture plane. The fire cast strong shadows in the foreground where small rocks lie against the smooth