Boodle’s Club c. 1914 - 1915

Curator: Walter Taylor, who lived from 1860 to 1943, created this watercolor titled "Boodle's Club," which resides in the Tate Collections. Editor: It projects such a sense of establishment, doesn't it? The rigid symmetry, the imposing facade... Curator: Indeed. Private clubs like Boodle's were, and arguably still are, potent symbols of British class and exclusivity. The building becomes a visual shorthand for power. Editor: The repeating windows almost become like eyes, guarding the secrets within. And the solitary figure near the entrance, a gatekeeper to that world. Curator: Exactly. The very architecture encodes a social hierarchy. Who is permitted entry, and what does that say about British society at the time? Taylor's watercolor hints at all of this. Editor: It makes you consider the weight and endurance of these symbols over time, and what they continue to represent today. Curator: Yes, it definitely sparks a sense of historical continuity and its modern-day effects.