Dress Pattern c. 1938

Curator: Well, this gives me the immediate feeling of… thrift? It's austere, spare; like someone holding onto hope. Editor: You're right, there is something a little solemn about it, isn’t there? The drawing, "Dress Pattern," dates from around 1938. It’s pencil on paper by Irene Lawson. The lines are very simple, almost diagrammatic. Curator: Diagrammatic is the perfect word! And the subject matter... Fashion is always such an interesting indicator of social climate, isn't it? Even just as a sketch. All the implications of aspiration! Editor: Absolutely. Consider the period: 1938. This is a dress from the cusp of global conflict. The fringe around the cape is…well, that to me evokes a sense of defiant glamour in hard times. Curator: Ooh, I like that! Defiant glamour, absolutely. A kind of making-do with what you have, adding that flourish despite the storm clouds gathering. I mean, it also gives a window to Lawson’s possible process... Editor: True, it’s more than just social record. It also gives us a keyhole peek into the creative and practical process. Lawson must have made preliminary drawings, drafting designs and problem-solving before executing on fabric, right? It speaks of labor…of the artistic struggle. Curator: Precisely! Every choice a little battle. Will I use this fabric or that? Can I even afford fringe? The design becomes imbued with a personal narrative, which then expands outward and touches upon the greater social and cultural realities. Editor: And what does the image communicate as symbol itself, outside historical considerations? A dress mediates identity and display, announcing its wearer’s values and social position... To consider how the artist interprets this article of dress in her rendering is to access something deeper. Curator: It is rather beautifully unpretentious. It invites a quiet pondering of resourcefulness...I wonder what Lawson's life was like. Editor: The unanswered questions is where it's beauty truly lies. A story not yet written.