Melrose Hotel Lobby, 1880 c. 1947

Editor: This is Perkins Harnly's "Melrose Hotel Lobby, 1880," a mixed-media watercolor drawing from around 1947. The lobby has this elaborate Art Deco design with wrought iron details and green hues, almost dreamlike and a bit melancholic. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: I find the perspective choices quite intriguing. It captures not just the aesthetics of the depicted space, but the socio-economic layers it represents. Harnly’s focus on hotels, often rendered with an almost theatrical, stage-like quality, really draws our attention to the constructed nature of social spaces and the rituals played out within them. Editor: How so? Curator: Hotels, then as now, existed as transitional spaces where social classes mixed, sometimes uneasily. Harnly made these drawings at a time when certain types of public imagery, particularly that which depicted such mixing, could be politically charged. The level of detail he puts into portraying this "lobby life," suggests a keen interest in documenting this facet of American culture. Have you considered how his interest in theater design might affect this perspective? Editor: It's interesting, that feels like a staged play, as you mentioned. Maybe his artistic choices reflect this broader societal theatre? Curator: Precisely. He invites us to consider the performances inherent in daily life, particularly within spaces that were intentionally designed for public interaction. Plus, think about how the use of watercolor impacts the imagery – does its inherent fluidity add another layer to the ephemeral nature of social interactions within this hotel lobby? Editor: I hadn’t thought of the watercolor that way, it's really interesting to view social and political ideas, especially in places you wouldn’t expect like a hotel drawing. Thank you! Curator: Indeed, this has given me much to ponder about the choices Harnly made in depicting this specific public space and what it mirrors in terms of our social fabric.