Daily Herald Order of Industrial Heroism 1923

Curator: This wood engraving, titled "Daily Herald Order of Industrial Heroism," is by Eric Gill. It's held in the Tate collection. What catches your eye about it? Editor: The red bird, and the figure with the child... a kind of modern-day St. Christopher navigating a landscape of industry. It feels...fraught. Curator: Gill's work often juxtaposes the spiritual and the material. The industrial scene is starkly contrasted by the traditional religious imagery, hinting at a complex relationship between faith and modernity. Editor: I see the smokestack juxtaposed against the saint. It suggests an interrogation of the supposed heroes of the industrial age—highlighting exploitation under the banner of progress. Curator: There's something unsettling about the combination of tenderness and the looming presence of factories, don't you think? A reflection, perhaps, on the burdens carried by those deemed heroes. Editor: Indeed. It serves as a potent reminder of the human cost often masked by narratives of progress. Curator: Well, Gill certainly gives us a lot to mull over in this compact image. Editor: Absolutely, a small piece packing a mighty punch.