Study of a Hand Gripping a Board c. 19th century

Curator: This is William Mulready's "Study of a Hand Gripping a Board," a pencil drawing housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It strikes me as a study in labor, really. The hand seems to strain, doesn’t it? Almost tense. Curator: Indeed. Mulready was a known Royal Academician, deeply engaged with the social realism movement. Drawings like these were crucial, often serving as preparatory works. Editor: I'm interested in how the hand, a symbol so often linked to creation and agency, is presented here in this act of grasping. What does it mean to hold on, to grip something tightly? Is it about control? Security? Or maybe even desperation? Curator: That's a very relevant reading. We also have to consider the role of institutions like the Royal Academy in shaping these artistic choices and legitimizing this form of representation. They influenced what subjects were deemed worthy of artistic study. Editor: Exactly. And how does the very act of studying—the artist's gaze—intersect with the labor represented? Who benefits from this depiction of a working hand? Curator: It offers insight into the academic approach to art education in Mulready’s time, while also opening conversations about labor, representation, and power. Editor: Yes, art invites us to think critically about the world around us.