Christmas Card from Helen and Dick Bishop 1935

Curator: Ah, here's a glimpse into holiday greetings past. This is "Christmas Card from Helen and Dick Bishop," an etching created in 1935. Editor: It's so delicate! And kind of austere, too, in its way. The sharp, black lines give it a sort of raw energy, like winter itself. It feels oddly modern, almost unsettling for a Christmas card. Curator: That tension, I think, comes from Bishop's engagement with naturalism combined with the very specific, personalized message. Richard Bishop was a well-regarded wildlife artist, and these holiday cards were something of an annual tradition, often featuring his etchings of birds. Editor: I see the bird taking off. So precise! I mean the anatomy seems perfect. It really looks as if this heron or egret could fly right off the card, don't you think? And below it that branch is sort of spare. A winter bareness hanging in the air. Curator: Yes, Bishop's expertise truly shines through. The Christmas message printed along the bottom situates this as a personal object, something made for a specific network of friends and family rather than for mass consumption. Yet, that the messages is etched rather than handwritten gives the artwork certain detachment as a commodity within elite social circles. Editor: It’s a funny blend. On one hand, you’ve got this detailed study, and on the other, this intimate holiday wish. You get a sense that the act of observation is itself an offering. As if the true gift here is that these friends were seen, too. You think the bird here is carrying these wishes to them in the air. I wonder who received this. It feels really sweet. Curator: It does carry that potential, a sense of the artwork embarking on a journey into a web of relationships. And while Bishop's career speaks to larger social, political and cultural themes surrounding wildlife art, such small personalized uses speak more specifically to his role within his family and intimate sphere. Editor: It is sort of great isn’t it? Just a snapshot, not of a place or person, but the spirit of giving…rendered in flight. Almost like a blessing that Helen and Dick set loose into the winter air back in 1935. Curator: Indeed, a poignant reminder of personal connections and shared traditions carried through time, visible now across eight decades of social change.