Flat Iron Holder c. 1937

Curator: Immediately I’m struck by the intense density, considering it’s a pencil drawing. Editor: It is interesting how Mildred Ford rendered this ordinary object, dating it to around 1937, titled simply "Flat Iron Holder." I wonder what drew her to it. Curator: It possesses such totemic presence, more than its function would suggest. Look at the details embedded within its form. The radiating sun motif—evoking warmth, certainly—but also suggesting power and domesticity entwined. Even the circular swirls suggest a sort of containment. Editor: Absolutely, and it begs the question of craft versus utility. Was this an object celebrated in its own time for its decorative qualities? Or was Ford perhaps reflecting on the lives intertwined with its function - women and labor? The materiality is intriguing - the dark pencil lines rendering the potential cast iron of the piece. What was the work it had seen? The material of the holder hints at mass production, at necessity made aesthetically appealing. Curator: I think the sunburst transforms something utilitarian into an emblem of domestic artistry. The implement may suggest work, yes, but this piece captures the quiet dignity of everyday tasks and transforms the labor into an offering through symbolic craft. Editor: An offering... perhaps. It seems more about the practical application of labor and division of work to me. By showing us every scratch, every curve, every possible imperfection, Mildred Ford reminds us that even the lowliest and mundane object contains multitudes when we interrogate how it was manufactured. The social realities can be revealed through examining materiality. Curator: Yet, these patterns feel imbued with ancestral memory too. In viewing such works of practicality, aren’t we tapping into our relationship with lineage itself, in whatever fashion or cultural dynamic? Isn’t that itself an act of remembering our ties? Editor: A stimulating suggestion... Regardless, Mildred Ford offers us much to contemplate with this modest yet powerful work. Curator: Indeed. An evocative reminder that meaning hides in the most commonplace forms.