The idea for this piece — which is based on one of my favorite paintings, Jan Vermeer's The Lacemaker — came to me while reading an account of various bearded ladies of the Victorian era. In what I can only imagine was an effort to emphasize these ladies' femininity, promoters frequently referred to the hirsute performers' marvelous facility for embroidery and other needlecraft. On the other hand, their whiskers seemingly endowed them with manly strength enough to swing an ax and produce enormous quantities of firewood. Bearded women: the best of both worlds.