Sugar Merchant's Suit (Written Description) 1935 - 1942

Editor: This is “Sugar Merchant's Suit (Written Description),” a series of ink drawings on paper, created by Henry De Wolfe sometime between 1935 and 1942. At first glance, the handwriting feels almost like a coded message or some forgotten script. What symbols or meanings do you see in this piece? Curator: The immediate sense is one of preservation. The detailed descriptions, almost obsessively noted, remind me of the Kabbalistic impulse to meticulously define and record the Divine, fearing its loss. Here, the garment, probably signifying status, is rendered textually rather than visually, hinting at its potential disappearance. Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn't considered the idea of loss or disappearance. The lists give an imperative tone as if this needs to be precisely replicated somehow. Curator: Yes, there is an element of imperative, wouldn’t you say? Consider what it meant to catalogue possessions in a time of potential economic or social upheaval. Are they instructions or almost a kind of will or testament, symbolically preserving that status? The garment, meticulously itemized, may become a cultural and personal touchstone that echoes forward, resonating with viewers in uncertain times. Editor: So the “suit” acts almost like a historical document or memory palace. Instead of seeing a garment, we’re seeing a symbol of something larger than its own sartorial function. Curator: Precisely. It’s a way of fixing identity and history at a specific moment. We look to symbols and their deeper connections, which allows us to better interpret visual culture and psychological state. Editor: This has given me so much to consider about the layering of symbolic importance in what seems like a fairly straightforward list. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! It is through these careful notations that even the everyday transforms into an enduring symbolic statement.