Crockery Cuspidor c. 1938

Editor: So, here we have Vincent P. Rosel’s "Crockery Cuspidor," from around 1938, a drawing of what looks like a ceramic spittoon. I find it kind of clinical, almost like a product design sketch. What jumps out at you? Curator: Well, I’m drawn to what this object *represents* in the context of the 1930s. We see this at a time when public health campaigns were gaining momentum. The spittoon, once ubiquitous, was becoming a symbol of disease and uncleanliness. Editor: Oh, interesting! So its presence is almost a statement? Curator: Exactly. Rosel’s decision to render this everyday, yet increasingly stigmatized, object elevated it into a subject worthy of artistic consideration, perhaps sparking debate about hygiene and public behavior. What do you think about the artist's approach to realism here? Editor: It's so matter-of-fact, the precise linework doesn't give you any emotional cues about its potential uncleanliness. Curator: Yes, that detachment might be key! By presenting the cuspidor without judgment, Rosel perhaps allows viewers to confront their own feelings about cleanliness, health, and the changing social norms of the era. Museums today shape a kind of hygiene too; any thoughts on the role an image like this could play in that context? Editor: That's a perspective I never considered! I always saw drawings like these as static, descriptive records, but framing it within those larger issues of social change, and public health campaigns...it just comes alive. Curator: Precisely, history enriches everything. This was valuable. Thanks.