Dress 1935 - 1942

Editor: This coloured pencil drawing from Bessie Forman, made sometime between 1935 and 1942, depicts a dress, complete with ribbons and lace trim. It evokes such a specific historical moment, a blend of aspiration and constraint. What stands out to you in terms of its materiality? Curator: For me, the drawing highlights the interesting intersection of craft, labour and the aspirational middle class. A coloured pencil drawing of a dress isolates it from the broader system of making, from the labour involved in textile production to its eventual consumption. Look at the almost clinical way it is rendered, this is not simply about beauty, but also about function and the labour involved. Editor: That's a fascinating perspective! The precision, though, also feels like it emphasizes design... Almost as a precursor to production. Curator: Exactly! We can consider this not as a finished object, but as a stage in the life cycle of the dress as commodity. Someone drew this for a purpose: either to imagine having it made or to inspire another dressmaker. The artist and the consumer are interconnected within it. Editor: So you're seeing it as a form of pre-production, like a blueprint almost? How interesting that a drawing could represent a whole industrial chain! Curator: Yes, we are reminded that making this design requires labour, resources, and distribution, reflecting social structures during the time of its making. What were you originally drawn to? Editor: Initially, I was attracted to its antiquated elegance but thinking about your points has made me aware of how easily we forget that all the art we see involves makers and consumers. I now see it more holistically. Curator: Exactly! It's in pieces like this we find that sometimes things are deeper than how they appear on the surface!