Original Inside Door to Sacristy c. 1936

Geoffrey Holt created this drawing of the original inside door to the sacristy with pen and brown wash on paper. While we don't know the exact date of its making, Holt lived through a time of massive changes in how art was commissioned, made, and consumed. Holt, as an artist, had to negotiate a changing world, and architectural plans like this tell us something about the social life of art. While we can only speculate about the original commission, we can appreciate Holt's attention to detail in the construction and design of the door, which are clearly articulated in the meticulous measurements and cross-sectional drawings. As historians, we can look to institutional records, architectural treatises, and social histories to understand the role of the artist in shaping the built environment, and how the design of a simple sacristy door reflects broader social and cultural values of its time.