Tip-top Table 1935 - 1942

Hans Korsch made this drawing of a "Tip-top Table" sometime in the 20th century. The drawing is part of the Index of American Design, a WPA project that documented American decorative arts. It's important to remember that the WPA was a relief measure undertaken by the US government during the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was intended to offer work to unemployed artists and cultural workers. This particular project aimed to create a visual record of American design, and was therefore deeply embedded in a particular historical, economic, and institutional context. The drawing itself demonstrates a kind of nostalgia for pre-industrial craftsmanship. It invites us to consider how older forms of design and production were being preserved and memorialized during a time of rapid modernization. We might ask what the cultural politics of such preservation projects were, and to whom they were directed. By examining sources connected to the WPA, we can learn more about the social conditions and cultural values that shaped the creation and interpretation of images like this one. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.