Water Pitcher c. 1936

John Dana created this drawing of a water pitcher, the date is unknown, using graphite and colored pencil on paper. Dana was active at a time of significant industrial and social change, with the Arts and Crafts movement emerging as a response to industrialized production. Consider the everyday object depicted here. The pitcher, adorned with water lilies, speaks to a desire to bring nature into the domestic sphere, a common theme within the Arts and Crafts ethos. How might this pitcher have been perceived in its time? The water lily, a symbol of purity and rebirth, also carries a complex history, with different cultures ascribing various meanings to the flower. Through the careful arrangement of the lilies, Dana invites us to reflect on our relationship with the natural world, and its cultural symbolism. The design perhaps reflects an attempt to craft beauty amidst rapid industrialization.