[title not known] 

Curator: Before us is a drawing by George Chinnery, dating from around the late 18th or early 19th century. It measures just 163 by 241 millimetres and shows a landscape scene. Editor: It’s delicate, almost ghostly. The faint graphite against the aged paper creates a real sense of ephemeral labour. Curator: Indeed, the medium speaks volumes. Graphite was readily available, reflecting Chinnery's process of sketching the everyday. Observe the detail in the rendering of working animals. Editor: Yes, the oxen and their handlers. Oxen often symbolize patience and endurance, virtues vital for the colonial labor force. But the drawing itself is so fragile, it’s almost a memento mori. Curator: Fascinating thought, especially considering the social context of colonial trade and resource extraction this image implies, as material reality. Editor: Reflecting on it, the drawing’s simplicity evokes the quiet dignity of repetitive manual labour—both its necessity and its human cost. Curator: Precisely, a lens through which to view its historical production.