Christmas Card from Helen and Dick Bishop 1937

Editor: Here we have "Christmas Card from Helen and Dick Bishop", made in 1937 by Richard Evett Bishop, a print using etching and drawing. There's something quite charming about the simple, almost rustic linework. What’s your read on this piece? Curator: What immediately strikes me is its context: a Christmas card. Beyond its aesthetic qualities, we need to think about how it functioned socially. In 1937, mass-produced Christmas cards were increasingly common, so commissioning a unique, hand-crafted one speaks volumes about the Bishop’s social standing and personal values. Editor: I hadn't considered that! The act of commissioning. Did that have broader implications? Curator: Absolutely. This wasn't merely a friendly greeting; it was a performance of taste, of exclusivity, communicated within a specific social circle. Notice how the subject, flying ducks, reflects a certain appreciation for wildlife, for a traditional, almost aristocratic, connection to land and hunting, hobbies enjoyed in exclusive circles at the time. How do you feel this reflects social attitudes of the time? Editor: Interesting! It feels like there's a subtle, perhaps even unconscious, signalling going on through a seemingly innocent image. It also prompts consideration of access to leisure activities. Curator: Precisely. And this etching medium? Was this meant to look ‘rustic’, as you said? Or to showcase the skilled labor of such an item compared to emerging technologies such as photogravure? Think about this as you walk around, and look for other markers of value and social messages at play in other artworks of the time. Editor: Thank you, that really shifted how I perceive it. I won't see another Christmas card the same way again. Curator: And that, I think, is the real gift of engaging with art from the past, that critical inquiry to understand what came before and what it signals about the present.