Dress 1939

Editor: We’re looking at "Dress," a watercolor drawing from 1939 by Charles Goodwin. There's something very solemn and reserved about the dress. I'm curious about what statement it makes, or perhaps about the world around it at that time. How do you interpret this work within its historical context? Curator: Well, consider the date – 1939. This wasn't just any year; the world was on the cusp of a major conflict, the Second World War. Does the austerity of the dress resonate with that tension and uncertainty? The muted palette, the simplicity of the design... it all speaks to a certain reserve, wouldn’t you say? And let’s consider its presentation. What kind of patronage could there be? Editor: Yes, the somber color choice definitely emphasizes that reserved feeling, now that you point it out. It’s devoid of embellishment, which might further underscore a specific message given the backdrop of global unrest and perhaps material constraints too? So where do you think this watercolor would be on display and who might be it’s audience? Curator: Given its style and execution, the artwork potentially served documentation purposes, perhaps for costume design or archival record-keeping, and as such its initial audience would have been highly restricted to particular industrial areas, with an exclusion of art spectatorship as we think of it today. There seems to be very little public role in this type of project! This influences the creation of pieces with similar subject matter and how those artworks were received. What do you think, does that give you a different angle to the dress itself? Editor: Absolutely! Understanding its function within a potentially bureaucratic setting really changes how I see it. It’s no longer just an image, but also a historical record, perhaps even a subtle reflection of wartime austerity impacting design and creation processes. Curator: Precisely. And by considering these contextual elements, we start to see how even a seemingly simple object like a dress becomes laden with historical and cultural meaning. Editor: I never thought about fashion having such weight and acting as social record during this historical time. Thanks!