Two gravestone rubbings, accomplished ca. 1960 in New England. Oil crayon on paper, framed. 26” x 35” and 24” x 19”.

The rich imagery of tombstones in Colonial New England reflects the deep religious beliefs of society in that time and place. The typical “death’s head,” a skull with flared wings, was intended to remind the living of the certainty of death; the verses carved on many stones served the same purpose. Most stonecutters, though clearly accomplished artists, did not sign their work. Although some of them can be identified through local archives, the names of many have been lost. Yet their work was deeply felt in a society where other forms of visual art were almost unknown. Historian Allen Ludwig writes: “…only in the burial ground could the average Puritan see an impressive quantity of visual art, hence the impact of the symbols must have been a good deal stronger then than now because the imagery itself was so much more uncommon.” (Allen Ludwig, Graven Images, p. 58).