Toy Bank: Eagle c. 1940

Curator: The artwork before us, dating from around 1940, is a mixed-media piece by Clarence W. Dawson. It's titled "Toy Bank: Eagle" and combines watercolor and drawing techniques. My first thought goes to its creation and circulation of a collectible—quite compelling! Editor: Whoa, that's something alright! A little ominous, don't you think? All that meticulous feather detailing on the eagle seems to stare right through you. I bet it rattles when you shake it. Is that another little bird I see peering into the coin slot? I bet it wants some cash for the music box. Curator: Dawson’s rendering speaks to the commodification of even noble creatures like eagles and other winged things, placing them squarely within a system of accumulation—even for a child’s piggy bank, reflecting the historical shift in manufacturing. Editor: So, it's not just about the image, it's about where this image leads, and why, a child might, in some future world, seek out this bank once again for a rush of a remembered emotion. Like power or glory or whatever other eagle virtues come to mind. But, now I see also the tiny, carved man on the surface. It makes the whole enterprise kind of creepy... Curator: And that speaks directly to Dawson’s keen interest in representing this intersection. He utilizes mixed media to elevate what might be viewed simply as commercial or mundane. The medium reflects that hybridity so you get the watercolor softening the rather stiff drawing. A subtle artistic touch is what really puts his piece over the top, highlighting these juxtapositions between nature and industry. Editor: I imagine, too, someone carefully crafting that, by hand, with an idea to make money. Perhaps to lift themselves out of financial hardship, and now we have an echo of that care still reverberating outward. Do you know if there is any intention for how it feels being viewed? What that all feels? Curator: Hard to say Dawson felt specifically, but through these strategic artistic choices we are invited to see the intertwined systems of nature, society and value; and hopefully, the reflection continues beyond a two-minute viewing. Editor: Exactly, you’re now carrying these observations onwards into your day! What did this turn into, again? Curator: It turned into something deeper that maybe once might be intended and even better than it used to be Editor: Cheers to that, for now—until next time.