Homespun Coverlet c. 1937

Editor: We're looking at "Homespun Coverlet" by Alexander Chudom, made around 1937. It appears to be a drawing or print of a textile design, mostly in red. It’s pretty striking! So symmetrical and folk-arty. I can't help but wonder where this coverlet might have ended up. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Well, for starters, I love how homespun and deliberately, almost defiantly, *un*-modern it is for the late 30s! Can’t you just see someone during the Depression clinging to older traditions, to simpler times? It's comforting, isn’t it? Do you notice the eagle motif? It feels very American, but softened, domesticated, by all the folksy floral designs. I wonder if that's intentional, or a bit subversive, even? Editor: Subversive? In what way? Curator: Well, consider what an eagle usually represents – power, strength, government. Here, it’s surrounded by pretty flowers. Almost as if to say, “Even strength needs beauty and softness.” Or perhaps that national power is only as good as the home life it protects. It makes me think about whose voices were included – or excluded – in that definition of American identity during that period. Editor: That’s a great point! It’s like the artist is reclaiming the symbolism and giving it a personal, more domestic spin. I really like the idea of embedding political meaning within decorative art. Curator: Exactly! And you see, what might at first seem like a quaint historical piece actually whispers to us about our own world, our own relationship to nationhood and tradition. That's what really draws me in. Editor: This has completely changed how I see this coverlet design. I initially saw only the surface, but now I'm thinking about the layers of meaning and cultural context underneath. Curator: Wonderful! That’s the joy of really *seeing*, isn't it? There’s always a story waiting to be uncovered, or perhaps even woven, wouldn't you agree?