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Editor: Here we have an untitled pencil sketch of two ships by Sir George Howland Beaumont. I’m immediately drawn to the visible age and fragility of the paper itself. What can we infer from the materials used in its production? Curator: This paper suggests mass production, not luxury. Beaumont, an amateur, likely used readily available supplies. The sketch's purpose wasn't high art but something functional, a study perhaps, reflecting the labor of both artist and the paper maker. Editor: So, even the support speaks to the artist's intent and social context? Curator: Precisely. The materiality challenges notions of artistic genius, highlighting the accessibility and the everyday consumption of art-making in that period. Editor: That’s a really interesting point; I hadn’t considered that before.