Baby Jacket c. 1938

Curator: Today, we are looking at Lucien Verbeke's "Baby Jacket", a watercolor and drawing on paper from around 1938. Editor: It strikes me as something so delicate. The pastel tones and lacy details evoke a sense of tenderness, almost fragility. Curator: Absolutely. This drawing offers us a glimpse into the material culture of the late 1930s, particularly concerning clothing production. Consider how garments like this were likely made at home, representing a form of labor often performed by women, isn't it? The drawing becomes a document of those practices, the social conditions of labour of clothing production. Editor: It’s amazing to think about that. Thinking about those hands shaping that lace and embroidery. Did the act of design, creation, and even this depiction grant any form of agency to the makers and wearers, particularly in a patriarchal society? What do these elements signify about motherhood? Curator: It's fascinating to consider that relationship. How do we reconcile the object's purpose – sheltering and adorning a child – with its creation often relegated to women? This baby jacket speaks volumes about the intersection of gender, labor, and the emotional significance embedded in domestic objects, you see? The act of sketching, almost memorializing, a handmade garment seems inherently respectful, but it is also documenting a certain tradition in the means of production. Editor: Thinking about material production of care... the choice of watercolor gives the object such an ethereal presence, wouldn't you agree? Curator: Precisely, the medium complements the garment's function, layering social, gendered, and emotional complexities onto a simple sketch of a baby jacket, its labour, the traditions, and the message it brings. Editor: Yes. It's a seemingly simple drawing but contains layers and layers of social and economic insight. Curator: Exactly, seeing the value of handmade in historical context has enriched this artwork and vice versa, to really understand and give context and importance in this field.