Figurehead: Davy Crockett 1938

Curator: Let's turn our attention to Ethel Dougan's "Figurehead: Davy Crockett," created in 1938 using watercolor and charcoal on paper. What strikes you most about this portrayal? Editor: Immediately, it’s the stance, so assured, like he owns the whole darn forest. It's less a figurehead and more of a full-on declaration, wouldn't you say? Like, here I am, world. Deal. Curator: Indeed. It is a proud stance, which resonates with how Davy Crockett was popularly imagined. Figureheads in nautical history traditionally served as both identifiers and emblems of good fortune for ships. I wonder, in the context of 1938, whether Dougan was subtly commenting on American identity through the lens of this folk hero? Editor: American identity, sure. But, look at his eyes! They hint at something beyond the caricature, some weariness or even melancholy. Like he knows the weight of the legend he’s become. It transcends mere symbolism to become something deeply human. Almost painfully so. Curator: Interesting. You’re highlighting a tension. Dougan painted this as part of the Index of American Design, a WPA Federal Art Project intended to document American decorative arts. So while there's that individual emotional complexity you point out, its purpose was actually about building up a national visual archive during the Depression. Editor: So, it's nostalgia, then? Nostalgia wrapped in sepia tones and wistful sighs. A time capsule of national mythology packaged and primed for… well, for consumption? Does knowing this was supported by the government impact your perception? Curator: It adds layers, certainly. The WPA had an explicitly public function. The imagery and the way it circulated were inherently political, promoting certain ideas of "Americanness". These depictions shape and reinforce common, but not always accurate, understandings. Editor: Understood. Well, whether consciously or not, Dougan gives us a rugged individualism tempered with human vulnerability. A folk hero alright, but maybe one staring into the sunset, or the encroaching industrial dawn. Food for thought. Curator: Agreed. Examining this piece through those interconnected perspectives helps to unravel the nuanced layers of its time and lasting implications, giving viewers more context with which to reflect and discover for themselves.