Bandbox

This is a rendering by Arsen Maralian, dating from sometime in the twentieth century, of a painted bandbox. It’s made from thin wood covered in paper, likely produced for Putnam, a paper hanging manufacturer in Hartford, Connecticut. The form of the bandbox, somewhere between a hatbox and a small trunk, would have been relatively easy to produce in a factory setting. But here, the interest is really in the surface. The box is sky-blue and features a decorative frieze around the perimeter, as well as an eagle perched on top of a smaller bandbox that names the manufacturer. The label is surrounded by verdant foliage. It is a beautiful, even aspirational object. It's important to realize that the imagery, carefully hand-applied, is as much the point as the box itself. It elevates a humble commodity to the status of a folk artwork. Looking at it this way helps us move beyond traditional distinctions between utilitarian design, craft, and fine art.