High Post Bed 1936

Editor: This watercolour illustration from 1936 depicts a “High Post Bed” and is credited to Florence Choate. There’s almost a stage-like quality to the composition. What’s your take? Curator: A stage! Yes, that's astute. It is theatrical, isn’t it? Perhaps a stage for dreams, or for secret whispered conversations. The bold crimson and the tassels… Do you get a sense of intimacy, or is it too… proper? There’s a real tension there, for me, between the implied opulence and that rather cool, illustrative style. Editor: I can see the tension. There's detail in the fabric, but the color feels flat and cool. Do you think that's intentional? Curator: Maybe. Or perhaps that’s just how Choate saw it, a flattening, a taming of the inherent sensuality of this style of bed. Beds like this are meant for languor, seduction, but Choate gives us crisp edges, hard lines. Think of someone meticulously, almost obsessively, making their bed every morning. Do you see that feeling? It takes courage to subvert the object's original purpose like this. What do you suppose a psychoanalyst might make of this picture of containment and constraint? Editor: That's interesting! It didn't even cross my mind to consider it from a psychoanalytic point of view! Maybe it’s more than just a depiction of furniture; it might say a lot about society's constraints around intimacy during the period? Curator: Precisely! The work opens up! Suddenly it’s far more than a decorative illustration, don't you think? It’s a frozen moment, and a coded social commentary. Editor: This conversation completely shifted my perspective on this piece. I went from thinking it was a pretty picture to recognizing a sense of tension that might hint at deeper meaning. Curator: Yes, isn't that fabulous? It’s about looking beyond the pretty surface and sensing something... more. Always trust your instincts.