-Save for a Home- still bank c. 20th century

Curator: I’m immediately drawn to this charming, almost childlike quality. It has this bright sunny disposition but seems slightly worn from its journey, you know? Editor: Indeed. What we have here is a "Save for a Home" still bank, dating to around the 20th century. It's a mixed-media sculpture incorporating steel, and was created by the Bankers Thrift Corporation in the United States. A quintessential artifact of Americana. Curator: Oh, definitely quintessential, you’ve got it right! That little house form is immediately recognizable—home as a foundational symbol for financial and emotional security. The colors themselves are doing a lot of work there; that cheerful yellow paired with a stable, trustworthy red. The association is clear, save carefully and this is your reward. Editor: It’s a powerful visualization, and you're spot on regarding cultural messaging. We must remember the context in which this bank was produced. Mass production of banks coincided with burgeoning advertising and financial literacy campaigns in the early 20th century. Its presence in a bank or home would have reinforced values of thrift and aspiration, as the bank literally embodies architectural aspirations of ownership. Curator: It's interesting, how these little containers really become objects imbued with the energy of people's dreams. I'm interested in the psychology of color choices too, not just in its literal form and design as a place of retreat and solace. Red is powerful. Yellow instills happiness and energy. Editor: You have a wonderful point about the individual dreams. This wasn’t just about institutional messaging—it also reflects a very personal aspiration, the private ambition for safety and upward mobility. Did the banks encourage saving or merely remind folks what they didn’t have yet? This humble house-bank sparks interesting societal inquiries and, indeed, it prompts reflection on how individual goals integrate into a wider societal frame of mind. Curator: Absolutely, a real synthesis there! Even in this slightly worn state, it makes you wonder what kinds of desires it held, the conversations it overheard on bedside tables or mantelpieces. So much story held in one little steel house. Editor: Precisely, making the bank's journey and impact both materially significant and meaningful through history.