Toleware Coffee Pot 1935 - 1942

Editor: This watercolor by Charles Henning, titled "Toleware Coffee Pot," dates from between 1935 and 1942. The dark, almost somber tones are punctuated by these vibrant, folk-art style floral decorations. It's a striking image, and I'm curious about it. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: Well, beyond the object depicted itself, I find myself considering the act of *representation* here. Why document this particular coffee pot with such detail and care, using watercolors? It prompts questions about value—what made this object worthy of artistic attention? Was it intended to elevate the status of the toleware itself, connecting a utilitarian item to fine art traditions? Editor: That's an interesting point! So, you're thinking about the intent behind representing it? The process of its creation and what that communicates? Curator: Precisely! Consider the labor involved in producing both the actual toleware coffee pot, with its likely mass-produced components decorated with folk motifs, and then Henning's painstaking labor in rendering it. The social context here seems really interesting, it questions distinctions between artistic practice and modes of commercial production. Editor: I see! It blurs lines, doesn’t it? Between what we traditionally consider 'art' versus functional design or craft. How does the material - the use of watercolor itself - influence that? Curator: Watercolors, historically often associated with studies or preliminary works, grants the final piece a certain approachable quality, almost elevating an otherwise everyday, utilitarian object. It almost highlights its design without aestheticizing it. What do you make of that tension? Editor: That's helpful! I originally saw the coffee pot as an object of folk art. But looking at it now, I can really see how the act of creating a watercolour opens up ideas of labor, consumerism, and artistic representation from that time. Thanks for shifting my perspective. Curator: Indeed! It reveals how focusing on materiality and means of production allows one to see an otherwise humble scene as a key window onto broader cultural conditions and beliefs around artistry.