Sheraton Table c. 1936

Edith Magnette made this drawing of a Sheraton Table, with graphite and colored pencil, sometime between 1955-1995. Magnette worked for the Index of American Design, a New Deal project created in the 1930’s to document American decorative and folk arts. These images offered both a record and a celebration of American craftsmanship during a time of economic hardship and social upheaval. They also represent an interesting perspective of labor. Magnette, as the artist, served as both observer and interpreter. She transformed a functional object into a work of art, drawing attention to its aesthetic qualities. But the table itself evokes questions about labor and craftsmanship. Who made the original table? What were their working conditions? What were the social and economic forces that shaped their lives and creative output? Magnette’s drawing invites us to contemplate the complex relationships between art, labor, and social class in American history.