Man's Handkerchief c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Sylvia Dezon’s “Man’s Handkerchief” from around 1936, a delicate drawing rendered in pencil on paper. The details of the lace trim and floral embroidery are amazing! How do you approach understanding this piece? Curator: I am particularly drawn to the question of its production: pencil and paper, likely inexpensive and readily available, used to depict a luxury item usually made with a specialized skill such as embroidery or lace-making. I'm interested in who produced such handkerchiefs, what the labor conditions were like, and who could afford them? Is this a preparatory design, or is it a statement about class and consumption? Editor: So, you see the drawing not just as a beautiful depiction, but as connected to a larger world of labor and economics? Curator: Precisely. Consider the role of women in needlework at the time. Were these handkerchiefs made at home, perhaps adding value, or in factories for mass consumption? The choice of a readily available material like pencil shifts the focus from the inherent value to labor and processes. We might see a tension here. Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t thought about the materials commenting on the subject itself. It makes me think about how the original handkerchief functions within society and the context of consumption and how it contrasts with the drawing itself. Curator: Yes, the contrast highlights those issues. It’s in the materiality of Dezon's work that it prompts us to rethink our understanding of beauty, value, and the unseen labor behind everyday objects. We can now see this object with new eyes, appreciating the social fabric from which it originates. Editor: Thanks for pointing out all those connections. I'm off to do some more research about the textile industry at that time!