Table 1935 - 1942

Editor: So this is "Table," a drawing on paper by Arthur Johnson, dated between 1935 and 1942. It's quite technical, showing different views of what looks like a tavern table. What historical context can you provide? Curator: Well, first it's crucial to understand that this isn’t just any drawing, it’s an architectural rendering displayed in a museum setting. Think about that shift. The drawing serves less as a functional plan, and more as an idealized representation of American history. Johnson's drawing memorializes and idealizes a colonial-era dining room, dating it to 1775. Editor: So it's about nostalgia as much as practical design? Curator: Precisely. During the Depression, the public craved reassurance and a connection to what they perceived as simpler times. Museums responded, but remember that presenting such images reinforces a selective history. Did this sanitization affect public perception of history, I wonder? Editor: Absolutely, I can see how only representing the dining room of a Danbury house presents a skewed view. Are the drawing's clean lines and precise measurements intentionally symbolic, too? Curator: They reinforce the perceived order and rationality of the past. By presenting an orderly design of early Americana Johnson offers a comforting and perhaps oversimplified view of America's colonial past, presented as self-evident fact, ready-made. Editor: I never thought about it that way before. It’s like the museum itself is making an argument through the image it chooses to preserve and display. Curator: Exactly. And by analyzing these choices, we reveal so much more than just the design of a table. Editor: I see now how something as simple as a drawing of a table can be so much more about history and culture. Curator: And also a powerful tool in shaping our collective memory. Food for thought!