Carousel Panthers c. 1938

Editor: This is Dorothy Handy’s "Carousel Panthers", from around 1938, done in watercolor and charcoal. What strikes me most is how fierce these animals look despite their purpose as decoration on a children's ride. It almost feels like a commentary. How do you interpret this work, considering its social context? Curator: That’s an interesting starting point. Given that it was created during the late 1930s, a time of widespread economic hardship and anxieties preceding World War II, the choice of powerful, yet ultimately tamed, panthers could be a reflection of broader societal tensions. How were ideas of luxury, spectacle and leisure being communicated at this time? Editor: So, the carousel, usually a symbol of joy and innocence, becomes a stage for displaying power and control, which can be read politically. Are you suggesting the artist subtly critiques the societal structures that contain and control even something as wild as a panther? Curator: It is worth considering how the museum or other spaces where works are displayed influence reception. Do we engage with art in a fundamentally different way at an amusement park compared to a museum? By looking at the visual language of control – the saddles, the harnesses – within the seemingly carefree environment of a carousel, we are possibly invited to consider who benefits and who is ridden in society, so to speak. It asks the question: who's carousel is it anyway? Editor: I had never considered the carousel itself as a symbol that invites social commentary. It’s like the artist is cleverly embedding a more serious message within a playful form. Curator: Exactly. Handy utilizes a familiar, accessible image to encourage public engagement and reflection, something particularly relevant during turbulent historical periods. Editor: I definitely see these panthers in a new light now – as both decorative objects and potent social symbols. Thank you! Curator: A pleasure! It is important to remember the museum has agency too. This positioning challenges its presentation as simple whimsy, adding new layers of meaning that resonate beyond childhood fun.