-Remington Typewriter- still bank 1939

Curator: This rather intriguing piece from 1939 is called '-Remington Typewriter- still bank', now held here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It appears to be an assemblage of found objects. What leaps out at you when you first see it? Editor: A sense of melancholy. All those keys, frozen, silent. It's like a monument to untold stories, the ones that never quite made it onto the page. The scuffs and scratches give it an amazing patina—like a tiny, metallic ghost of a bygone era. Curator: Precisely. What’s fascinating is that this "sculpture", crafted by the National Products Corporation of Chicago, wasn't intended as high art, of course. It's actually a coin bank modeled after the iconic Remington typewriter. The artistry comes through in how familiar forms get repurposed, shifting their original symbolic function. Editor: So, it's not just about the typewriter itself, but the layers of meaning associated with saving, production, creative output, and capitalism… and, perhaps a little, creative anxieties and anxieties of making, of creating. It evokes such potent contradictions and makes one meditate on all sorts of themes that flow into these little sculptures, small machines for big purposes! Curator: Indeed, there's an embedded tension. It’s a utilitarian object memorializing another utilitarian object. You drop coins into a machine that symbolizes the generation of words, stories, even wealth—the pennies literally fuel imagination, in a very literal way. There’s something very satisfying about its density too. It feels robust. Editor: It definitely feels grounded! All those tiny round shapes remind me of rows of diligent, determined little workers ready to strike. It brings me to this era when objects possessed not only a utilitarian function, but acted almost like talismans. This piece radiates the potent creative energies of those bygone days... Curator: I completely concur with your idea, especially regarding the almost talisman-like quality imbued into this still-bank—perhaps a way to keep your words (and riches) safe and protected for tomorrow. Editor: This little relic prompts reflections about production, savings, creative production... a simple vessel with some deep layers, like the best stories ever!