Bread Tray c. 1941

Editor: We're looking at "Bread Tray," a drawing created around 1941 by Mildred Ford, rendered in colored pencil. It strikes me as incredibly homey and almost celebratory, despite being of such a common object. What do you make of it? Curator: Homey is right, it almost glows, doesn’t it? Look how Mildred Ford has rendered something so functional into a festival of color and design. It's like she’s whispering, "Even the simplest things can be beautiful; find the joy in the everyday." Those folk-art inspired floral and fruit motifs practically sing! And the slightly imperfect perspective? To me it shouts authenticity. Makes you wonder about the hands that crafted the actual bread tray, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. The folk-art style adds to that sense of authenticity and care. It really does bring out a human element. Are you saying that the lack of perfect rendering contributes to its character? Curator: Exactly! The warmth is so immediate! It's as if you can smell the bread and hear the laughter around a table. Don’t you get a similar vibe? Does it resonate with you, maybe bring back a certain childhood memory or an atmosphere you can almost grasp? I always wonder how someone sees a mundane item such as this. Editor: I love your description. It makes me think about heirlooms. Do you think she saw the beauty and the tradition in it, enough to commit to the drawing? Curator: Ford is asking us to see the magic woven into the mundane, perhaps reminding us that the greatest art can often be found not in palaces, but in the heart of home. Art exists to show its relationship to the past, wouldn’t you say? And also our families… food brings people together! This lovely tray represents family and friendship and past traditions. Editor: It's incredible how much feeling a simple drawing of a bread tray can evoke. Thanks, that opened up a completely new way of seeing this piece for me!