Bag c. 1936

Curator: This delightful little thing is titled "Bag," attributed to Ella Josephine Sterling, likely created around 1936. The piece blends drawing and textile, rendered beautifully with watercolor. Editor: It has this dreamy, whimsical quality, doesn't it? Like a village dipped in sherbet! It is as if I have discovered an old keepsake of an ancestor that used to tell fairytales, the colors are muted with the nostalgic touch of old family photos. Curator: The visual organization is compelling. The piece showcases an elegant folk-art aesthetic. There’s a calculated tension, with a clear tripartite division—striped fabric top, decorated main body, and the beaded fringe bottom—providing a balanced, structural foundation. Editor: And isn’t that precisely its charm? I wonder what treasures this little bag might have once held! There’s such a sweet domesticity woven into those stitched landscapes. Curator: Yes, I would tend to agree. A symbolic landscape unfolds: a band of simple houses rendered in primary colors anchors the composition, topped with stylized floral motifs. This reflects traditional crafting and indigenous aesthetics while incorporating a distinctly personal iconography. Editor: Absolutely. It seems Sterling poured her whole world onto this canvas...or rather, bag! You can sense the memories, the whispered stories, tucked away in its seams. Curator: It truly invites a detailed looking. Note how Sterling uses texture and dimensionality. See how the watercolor captures light? And this piece is interesting because it presents the convergence of materials which offers this haptic experience to the audience. Editor: Yes, even on a photograph, the different components draw the eye in. And it’s fascinating to consider the role of the artisan too: Sterling the architect, the poet, the miniaturist! This ‘Bag’ shows you so much if you just decide to look a little deeper. Curator: It does; such objects remind us how artworks embody meaning and value, acting as carriers of personal and cultural significance across generations. It offers such a personal message even today! Editor: Indeed! Thanks for your perspicacious reflections. That opens it up so nicely. I have learnt so much here today!