Candlestick c. 1936

This meticulous drawing of a candlestick was made by Henry Meyers, who died in 1995. We see the candlestick as a technical exercise, a study in form and proportion, likely made in the context of design education. The measured drawings and precise rendering suggest it may have been produced as part of an industrial design curriculum. In the late 20th century, technical drawing was a core skill for designers and engineers before the advent of computer-aided design. Candlesticks, though seemingly simple objects, offered opportunities to explore the interplay of function and aesthetics, of tradition and modernity. What does it mean to make such a careful record of an everyday object? Drawings like this speak to the institutional history of design education, offering us insight into the values and skills that were deemed important at a particular moment. By researching design school curricula, we can understand the social and cultural priorities reflected in this drawing.