Folding Desk c. 1937

Curator: Thomas Holloway’s watercolor drawing, “Folding Desk,” created around 1937, is what we're examining here. It immediately brings to mind the decorative arts and perhaps the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement on design aesthetics. What do you first notice about it? Editor: It gives me this oddly serene feeling. The meticulous details—the way the light dances on the wood grain rendered so faithfully—almost suggests it’s less about function and more about celebrating craftsmanship for its own sake. It’s quietly meditative, I think. Curator: I agree; there is something very reverent in how Holloway depicts this object. What resonates for me is the focus on material transformation and the social implications bound within that labor. The creation of this 'desk' is deeply entwined with the raw material and how it reflects cultural values about work and skill. Editor: Absolutely. It really spotlights the intimacy between the maker and the object. Look closely and it hints at stories – a careful selection of woods, painstakingly pieced together. Do you think the designation of this a “desk” confines it too much? It appears to me more like an exquisite jewelry box. Curator: Perhaps 'desk' isn't entirely accurate. We're viewing a manifestation of skill which carries immense societal weight. During this time the perception and value around craft items helped determine a particular person or community’s worth in a very capitalistic landscape. Editor: Right, I follow you. Seeing this prompts me to recall a similar box my grandmother kept. Suddenly I think this watercolor preserves so much more than surface appearances. Its almost as if all of its stories seep through into view here, with its delicate watercolour washes. Curator: And through this careful, considered image of the object we have a portal to connect craft, material value and personhood within shifting twentieth-century cultures. Thank you for helping me highlight what makes this more than just pretty object portrayal. Editor: Likewise. It started as an inviting artwork on the surface but I gained new dimensions just through unpacking the deeper layers here today.