Dress 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have "Dress," a pen and pencil drawing on paper created by Julie C. Brush sometime between 1935 and 1942. There’s a certain quaintness to it, and almost a ghostliness, because there’s no body *in* the dress. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Consider the sleeve – the gigot sleeve. What associations do we have with that shape? Editor: I’m not sure... other than, well, the 1830s? Curator: Precisely. The gigot sleeve enjoyed a huge resurgence during the late 1930s, exaggerating the shoulder in a way that conveyed feminine strength and elegance simultaneously. Also, think about a “dress.” Is it simply apparel? Editor: Not really. I suppose clothing is always a statement, whether intentional or not. A signifier of class, of course, and time period, taste. Is it meant to convey aspiration, even? Curator: Quite right. And even fantasy. This detailed sketch might be aspirational for the artist herself. We cannot help but see that Brush rendered a lovely fantasy and then inscribed her signature below. Why might a sketch of historical dress hold such resonance during times of austerity? What cultural memories is she drawing on? Editor: So it's less about the dress itself, and more about what it symbolizes in that moment in time. Perhaps even a longing for a different era? I never considered that. Curator: Visual symbols rarely exist in isolation; they echo across generations. And it may also represent freedom and autonomy – making it, designing it, as acts of hope and empowerment in times of duress. Editor: Fascinating. Now, I am thinking about those layered meanings attached to everyday imagery. It opens the work up completely!