Purse c. 1936

Curator: Ah, it feels almost like a forgotten whisper from another time. Editor: That's a lovely way to put it! What we're looking at is a watercolor and drawing piece titled "Purse," created around 1936 by Ann Gene Buckley. Curator: There’s something immediately striking in the way the vivid reds and blues play against the gentler floral patterns. It reminds me of a craft project my grandmother might have cherished. What I see, beyond just an image of a purse, is a narrative woven from threads of domesticity, labor, and identity, reflective of women's roles in the home and the economy during the early 20th century. It seems decorative, sure, but I feel like that can be easily misinterpreted—especially since something so ‘domestic’ is also displayed. Editor: Right, I feel the same, and I agree! It’s tempting to look at it in purely decorative terms, but I feel there's so much more depth. Curator: Absolutely, think about the context. 1936 – during the Depression Era in America – so much can be unpacked here regarding socio-economics, women’s craftsmanship as potential economic support. The materiality speaks of careful labour, the floral motifs often symbolic, possibly suggesting aspiration, hope, the romanticism women sought even in very restrictive contexts. It's important not to forget the intersections of identity—gender, class, and even the ways in which access to certain materials might speak of the socio-economic standings, or at least, aspirations. What does "femininity" even mean here when women are just working to make end meets... Editor: The contrast between those very geometric lines near the bottom of the purse and then those more lush floral designs – feels intentional somehow, almost an ironic wink? The choice of a bright blue and red against the very ornate floral pattern is fascinating, I'd expect something gentler in contrast. Curator: I see the blue in that string as an umbilical cord—as though it contains both a beginning, a possibility. The bold choice speaks, if you think about its place in history, to an act of claiming the ‘feminine,’ with that assertiveness. This decorative rendering has the power to overturn conventions... Editor: I can feel its power in the boldness, the colours… It’s strangely beautiful and sad, that push-pull of expression, like wanting to yell from a very silent space. Curator: Precisely—it whispers, yet screams at the same time. So powerful. Editor: I’m glad we took the time with that! I think that perspective makes a difference in experiencing the work, in helping others know where it fits into art history, and what it brings to contemporary discussion.