Chintz Valance for Poster Bed c. 1935

Curator: Here we have what is thought to be a watercolor textile design, titled “Chintz Valance for Poster Bed,” created around 1935. The image contains both flowers and a bird of prey in what appears to be an elegant decorative scheme. Editor: It strikes me as both graceful and slightly unsettling. The pale background and pastel florals suggest delicacy, but that hawk or eagle feels so... assertive, almost predatory amidst the sweetness. Curator: Well, birds, especially raptors, have signified power, vision, and freedom across numerous cultures for millennia. The inclusion of this bird certainly provides a sense of power and status. Here, we can think about how its placement—symmetrically centered, wings fully outstretched—might speak to ideals about the domestic space or bed it was intended for. Editor: You’re right, the symmetry does lend a sense of control, an almost rigid order clashing with the fluid lines of the surrounding flora. But, isn’t it curious how the detailed, almost scientific depiction of the bird contrasts with the much looser, more decorative rendering of the flowers? It’s as if two different styles, even two different messages, are vying for attention on the same surface. Curator: Perhaps it’s less of a contradiction and more of an intentional contrast. The flowers represent beauty, abundance, comfort; whereas the bird embodies protection, sovereignty and vigilance. You would also have to think about the cultural weight that would come with seeing these images in the context of a home. Editor: Do you mean like the way floral chintz often speaks to ideas about idealized nature and femininity? I see your point; this particular textile, if translated into an actual bed valance, becomes a statement about control, protection, and a very particular, visually constructed type of domestic luxury. I still can't help feeling that tension when looking at it, even on paper! Curator: Well, whether you find the image cohesive or conflicting, I think it gives us insight into design sensibilities and the symbols deemed desirable within a certain social sphere in the 1930s. Editor: Yes, it makes you really wonder what this looked like installed in a room.