Pegging Jack c. 1938

Curator: Looking at this painting called “Pegging Jack,” done around 1938 by Henry Waldeck, I am immediately drawn to its rather utilitarian subject matter. What is your first take? Editor: The loneliness of it strikes me. It's like a portrait, almost a self-portrait, of the mundane labor it represents. Solemn. Honest. Makes you wonder about the hand that operated it. Curator: Absolutely. This watercolor and paint rendering focuses on the everyday object rather than a grand historical subject. These Works Progress Administration artists elevated ordinary subjects to something worthy of attention, capturing the nation's industrious spirit during the Depression. Editor: Yes, the object takes center stage and almost speaks as if with the very soul of the worker embedded into the wood. A little melancholy but a very clear voice too. There is a kind of quiet resilience in the work, wouldn’t you agree? Curator: Precisely. The attention to the texture of the wood grain, the weathering marks...it speaks to the passing of time, the relentless nature of work. We need to remember how government art programs enabled artists such as Waldeck to make a living. It highlights that art is work too. Editor: And the fact it's a pegging jack... it's such a specific thing! Now slightly outside of collective knowledge, the painting feels like both an invitation and a mystery, to solve the purpose of this everyday thing. Curator: Exactly. I’d wager most people today wouldn’t have any idea what it is or was used for, underscoring the transformation of industry since this work was made. In essence it highlights just how important documentation and record is to collective memory and lived histories. Editor: I think that’s why it appeals to me so much. The sense of fading memory but then such immediate material evidence that can start those new conversations, which feels full of promise. Curator: Very nicely said, that tension between loss and possibility.