-Covered Wagon- still bank c. 1950s

Editor: Here we have a metal sculpture, titled "-Covered Wagon- still bank", created around the 1950s by Banthrico, Inc. It has a certain nostalgic charm; the material and miniature scale make it seem like a relic from a bygone era. What does this piece evoke for you? Curator: It's compelling how a simple coin bank can condense the entire narrative of westward expansion. Notice the wagon’s form – reminiscent of a protective shell, sheltering dreams and aspirations as it moves toward an uncertain horizon. Think of what the covered wagon represents in American cultural memory – the bravery, the hardship, and also the displacement. Editor: That’s a striking point about the wagon as a 'protective shell'. I hadn't considered it that way, but now I see the implied vulnerability of the travelers. The imagery connects with larger cultural narratives about settlement and pioneer life. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the object’s original function – a bank. It encouraged saving, delaying gratification, investing in the future, themes echoed in the settlers’ long-term journey. It also quietly promoted an understanding of American ambition and achievement. Editor: So the covered wagon form, combined with its function as a bank, intertwines personal hopes with the broader mythology of the American West. That's powerful. Curator: Precisely. The iconography triggers deeply embedded cultural associations. Do you think this piece evokes a celebratory or more complex sentiment regarding the mythology of westward expansion? Editor: I'm rethinking my initial 'charming' impression. The bank as symbol connects individual saving with the larger, sometimes brutal, narrative of national expansion. Curator: It's a layered reading, isn't it? Art objects such as this are powerful precisely because of their cultural entanglement with national identity. Editor: Definitely gives you a lot to think about beyond the surface of a coin bank.