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It is a wise father that knows his own child.

— William Shakespeare

Two painted wooden nesting dolls, one facing forward and one turned away, stand on burgundy velvet.
Original artwork
Behind the line May contain spoilers.

Our reading

An editorial interpretation.

The line makes knowing one's own child a test of a father's wisdom. Read as a joke about recognition or certainty, it unsettles something that might seem obvious. Its brief, proverbial form leaves room for both family insight and a more mischievous doubt.

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