Towel c. 19th century

Editor: This is a towel from around the 19th century. It's at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and created by an anonymous artist. I see mixed media, weaving, textile, and fibre art. It looks pretty simple at first glance, just a piece of fabric with a patterned edge, but it has an intriguing aged quality. What are your thoughts on this humble textile? Curator: Oh, “humble” perhaps on the surface! But isn’t it interesting how something as everyday as a towel can become a little time capsule? Look closely – that border isn't just decoration; it's a whisper of a cultural language, wouldn’t you agree? Those repeating motifs…they’re less about individual creativity, and more about belonging to a community of makers. Each imperfection is the trace of the maker. Do you think its story is of utility, artistry, or something more complicated? Editor: That's a great way to think about it. I guess I was focusing too much on the wear and tear. The motifs almost look like simplified flowers or maybe stylized trees... It makes me think of the time and dedication it would have taken to create this by hand, the opposite of our mass-produced items today. Curator: Exactly! Now, imagine the hands that made this, the stories woven in along with the threads. Perhaps this was a wedding gift, or a christening token? The "decorative art" tag they have listed is cute and kind of misses the point. A domestic object holds all the potential intimacy that we associate with ‘high’ art. If the fibres could speak, imagine what secrets they would tell about a life lived! Editor: That makes so much sense. Seeing it just as a functional object, I completely missed the potential for it to be so personal and connected to someone's life. Curator: And that, my dear editor, is why art, in all its forms, keeps us eternally curious, eternally connecting with ghosts and the glimmer of our own experiences, too. We came in with preconceptions; we are leaving full of interesting feelings and more questions. Isn't that a win for a rainy afternoon?