Tie-back c. 1941

Harry Jennings created this watercolor of a "Tie-back" sometime within his long life, spanning from 1855 to 1995. We can interpret its design of stylized flowers and leaves through the lens of the Arts and Crafts movement. This movement, prominent in both the United States and Britain, promoted the value of handmade objects featuring natural motifs, reflecting a cultural turn away from industrialized mass production toward a more idealized vision of pre-industrial society. The movement influenced schools such as the National Design Academy, founded in 1837. Many paintings and designs from this era reflect a nostalgia for nature. The style of the piece – the delicate rendering of floral and vegetal forms – reinforces this sense of an aesthetic yearning for nature. To better understand Jennings' “Tie-back,” we can delve into publications, museum collections, and design archives from the period. By understanding its original social context, we can appreciate how art often reflects and shapes cultural values.