Gilt Weather Vane 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have Frances Cohen’s “Gilt Weather Vane,” made sometime between 1935 and 1942. It's bronze and metal, and immediately strikes me as overtly patriotic, almost to a point of being unsettling given the historical context. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This piece speaks volumes about the American identity during the pre-war and wartime eras. How do you see its relationship to gender, and what cultural scripts does it seem to be performing? Editor: I suppose the figure does resemble a kind of idealized feminine figure, and she holds the American flag so confidently, maybe representing a sense of national strength. Curator: Exactly. But let's dig deeper. Consider the timeframe. What roles were women being asked to fill in society at this time, and how does that impact the message we are receiving? This isn't simply about national pride, but about mobilizing collective identities, using gendered symbolism to create allegiances and encourage public service through military support and civic participation. How might those commitments interact and create frictions for diverse citizens of this nation? Editor: So, it’s not just a weather vane; it’s a statement about societal expectations, specifically regarding women, within a specific political climate? Curator: Precisely! It raises important questions. Who is included, and who is excluded, from this vision of American identity? Does this figure truly represent all Americans, or does it embody a more exclusive, perhaps even exclusionary, ideal? The work serves as a great conversation starter to ask if anything has changed. Editor: This totally changes my perspective! It's not just a pretty gilded sculpture, but an emblem of complex social and political dynamics. Curator: It certainly is, a historical artifact that can offer unique insight. Thank you for offering up an intriguing and perceptive response, I am intrigued.