Highboy 1935 - 1942

Editor: We’re looking at “Highboy,” a pencil drawing by Frederick Jackson, created between 1935 and 1942. The precise linework, the symmetrical design; it all feels very controlled and meticulous. How would you interpret its place in art history? Curator: This piece prompts a question: is this art, or documentation? During this period, we saw the rise of the Index of American Design, part of the WPA, the Works Progress Administration. Artists were employed to document American material culture. Did Jackson consider himself an artist, or a recorder? Editor: That’s a good point. I hadn’t thought about the social context influencing its creation. Do you see any other ways the WPA might have shaped this drawing? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the almost clinical precision. These artists were essentially archivists. Their task was to preserve a record of American craftsmanship, likely disappearing because of mass production. It also made arts accessible to broader audiences, right? By representing them to wider communities that potentially had less access to the originals? Editor: So it's not just about documenting but also democratizing access to design. The drawing gains another layer of meaning now. Thanks for putting this into context. Curator: My pleasure. It's a great example of how understanding the social and institutional forces behind artmaking can enrich our understanding of even seemingly straightforward images. Editor: I learned that an artwork like this one can serve many different functions simultaneously, both for its original creator and for a wide audience.