Toby Mug c. 1936

Curator: Here we have a watercolor drawing, likely from around 1936, depicting a "Toby Mug" attributed to John Cutting. Editor: It has a strangely haunting quality. It looks both functional and, well, a bit grotesque, like a caricature brought to life. The monochrome reddish-brown hue certainly adds to its unsettling yet captivating appeal. Curator: Indeed. Toby Mugs, historically, are figural ceramic pitchers, usually representing a jovial person. The fact that this drawing isolates the mug from its convivial context perhaps amplifies that sense of isolation you picked up on. These mugs were initially popular in the 18th century, and their resurgence in the early 20th tells a story about the renewed interest in traditional, "folksy" art objects. Editor: I'm struck by how the artist has captured the essence of "Toby." It's more than just a portrait; the figure's hat, doubling as the pitcher's lip, the handle elegantly arching—each element feels carefully chosen. The human head is emerging directly from the body of the vessel. It conjures associations of the mythical green man whose head appears in churches around the world, evoking regeneration. Curator: Right. The repetitive motif that rings the body of the jug – little faces perhaps, or theatrical masks – definitely draws upon familiar, yet archaic, themes. What interests me particularly is the drawing’s appearance within our museum. It challenges our modern assumptions of an easily mass-producible image, reminding us how the past, whether accurately or not, used drawing as the primary source of information about the world around it. Editor: It does raise questions about value and perception. How much of our understanding is dictated by mass production versus, in the case of Toby jugs, its roots in localized traditions. To create a visual encoding of a specific type like a Toby Mug seems highly purposeful. Curator: Ultimately, the piece functions as a snapshot, memorializing the resurgence of a specific folk craft and the visual vocabulary tied to ideas of folk life during that time. Editor: Leaving us to contemplate what "folksiness" itself meant, and what we project onto objects like this Toby Mug today.