Mandolin, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 5) issued by Kinney Bros. 1889

Editor: This is “Mandolin, from the Novelties series (N228, Type 5) issued by Kinney Bros.,” created around 1889. It’s a color drawing and print with watercolor and colored pencil. I find the small floral design painted on it delicate and beautiful. What strikes you about this work? Curator: Well, I’m immediately drawn to thinking about how this object, ostensibly decorative and seemingly innocuous, functions within a much broader socioeconomic and cultural landscape. Kinney Brothers were a tobacco company; these were trade cards. Considering its moment of creation, 1889, we have to ask: whose labor made this mass production possible? Editor: So, you mean, connecting it to labor history? Curator: Precisely. Think about the conditions of the Gilded Age. The source material itself reflects cultural fascinations – perhaps referencing ukiyo-e traditions in a superficial way. So, it's not simply a mandolin. It's about colonial trade, class, gendered leisure and consumerism. Editor: It's amazing to consider those themes coming together in something that seems so simple on the surface. It's like peeling back layers of history. Curator: Exactly! And by interrogating these layers, we gain insights into the complexities of our past and how they continue to shape our present. Editor: Thanks, it definitely made me think about art’s intersection with society! Curator: My pleasure. Keep questioning.