Circus Fans c. 1935

Curator: This striking woodcut print, titled "Circus Fans," comes to us from Eliza Draper Gardiner, likely dating from around 1935. Editor: Immediately, it gives me that shiver you get when confronted with potent caricature—sort of off-kilter and intriguing, but also unnerving. The dramatic use of black and white emphasizes that feeling. Curator: Gardiner certainly leaned into bold contrasts. Think about the social context then: Regionalism was big. Artists aimed to capture everyday American life. This slice-of-circus seems to do that, yet… Editor: There’s a biting quality. Look at the couple embracing—those skeletal faces! And the photographer hoisted up high, almost like a judge. It's like a snapshot of enforced leisure during tough times, wouldn't you say? Curator: The technique adds to that edge. Woodcut gives that powerful, almost brutal directness. I imagine her physically carving this image, that really adds impact. Editor: The figures really speak to a social dynamic, right? The power is elevated while the… well, those lower on the ladder show these unsettling features, embracing or awaiting, looking… lifeless, maybe even complicit. It is quite something! Curator: I wonder if Gardiner, through these slightly grotesque features and odd posing, aimed to reflect anxieties about social performance, class disparities… How were these spectacles, meant for joy and entertainment, being experienced at the time, right? What were the underlying, unseen layers of that reality? Editor: Right, maybe she was making a deeper commentary, an artistic reflection on society, not just simple depiction of one joyous circus experience but the hidden grim sides of entertainment and social strata during the Great Depression, perhaps. Well, it's certainly made me consider a circus in a totally different way now! Curator: Yes. A stark, yet strangely poignant perspective on spectacle and its audience. I think Gardiner makes a bold, challenging mark.