Billethead from Ship "Favorite" c. 1938

Hazel Hyde made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a billethead from the ship "Favorite" at an unknown date. Look closely and you'll see how the medium and technique influence the artwork's appearance. The drawing captures the textural qualities of wood and the marks of carving tools, giving a sense of the original object's weight and form. The process involved in creating the original billethead, likely by a skilled ship carver, reflects a long tradition of craftsmanship. The billethead served both functional and decorative purposes, and its creation would have been a labor-intensive task. The drawing, in turn, transforms this labor into an aesthetic experience, inviting us to consider the social context of shipbuilding. It also challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft. Here, the act of representing the billethead elevates it to a subject worthy of artistic attention.