Mission Bed 1935 - 1942

Curator: This is "Mission Bed," a pencil drawing rendered between 1935 and 1942 by Edward Jewett. Editor: It feels strangely serene. The soft pencil lines and the aged paper give it this quiet, contemplative mood. I wonder about the context; it almost feels like a ghost of a design. Curator: Absolutely. What we're seeing is most likely a page from Jewett's sketchbook. The meticulous, light pencil work captures the details of the wooden bed, perhaps even hinting at its intended construction. Note the almost diagrammatic representation with the arm rest sketches on the top. Editor: It’s interesting you say diagrammatic. To me, the object seems embedded with so much more meaning than the utilitarian. Think about the concept of “mission”— loaded, considering this period's political context, hinting at colonialism and exploitation, yet also at ideas about labour and craft. Curator: Precisely. In that sense, this sketch could represent more than just furniture design; it also symbolizes a certain cultural aesthetic, a return to simpler, handcrafted forms amidst increasing industrialization. One could even read something vaguely medieval in the top of the headboard design, with its vaguely crenelated form, recalling the gothic revival. Editor: Or, the Mission style furniture it’s referencing, a turn-of-the-century style in the US and an effort to reflect the values of simplicity, utility, and honesty. How does that blend with an aesthetic and lifestyle for the middle class in a time when honest work in this country had no clear guarantees? This evokes broader questions about authenticity and design's role within social inequalities. Curator: That's a really sharp observation. In visual language, the unadorned nature of the bed embodies that yearning for simpler values that becomes powerful during a moment like the Depression Era, but the social framework… that's where the complexities really arise. Editor: For sure. A visual document like this provides such fertile ground for investigating the intricate ties between art, design, and lived experience during tumultuous periods. Curator: Indeed, "Mission Bed" is much more than a furniture drawing; it is a vessel for our collective visual and cultural memories. Editor: Agreed. It’s a potent reminder that even the seemingly mundane possesses an inherent political charge.