Fan c. 1936

Curator: Let's consider "Fan", a watercolor and drawing on paper created around 1936 by Ella Josephine Sterling. It presents a handheld fan, decorated with floral patterns. Editor: It strikes me as quite delicate, almost like a relic from a bygone era. There's a certain formality, a sense of restraint, despite the floral decoration. Curator: These fans often functioned as more than simple accessories; they were encoded with social and cultural meaning, reflecting the era's values surrounding femininity, display, and even veiled communication. How do you see the symbolic significance in its design? Editor: The floral imagery, particularly the large central flower, certainly suggests ideas of beauty and cultivation. But the dark background, almost a somber canvas, makes it more complicated. It could point towards hidden meanings, concealed desires. The fan itself as a symbol has been used for centuries as a tool of concealing oneself. Curator: The historical context deepens the narrative, particularly in considering Sterling’s place within early 20th century American art. Were there specific cultural or political dimensions you felt when interpreting this piece? How might Sterling's experience as a woman impact the fan's narrative and her choice to immortalize it through watercolor? Editor: I think of intimacy, and domesticity, for one thing, but also a subtle statement against expectations. The careful, almost obsessive detail, hints at a rich internal life beyond social constraints, of creating your own culture and way of interacting with an ever increasingly noisy world. Curator: Precisely. Examining this drawing with attention to the female experience offers insight into domesticity and societal expectation through the delicate floral symbol. How does a utilitarian object transform into a commentary? Editor: Through careful rendering and the very act of preserving this item, of lending dignity and artistry to an object generally dismissed as a feminine trifle. Curator: It's the layered history of this humble object, of its purpose, artistry, and feminine contexts, that brings its silent testimony into the gallery and asks what that whispers to contemporary minds. Editor: Indeed, the artwork reveals the stories, secrets, and symbolism of the past in quiet ways.