Bandbox Design c. 1939

Walter Doran made this bandbox design, in what looks like gouache or watercolor, maybe in the late 19th or early 20th century, sometime between 1855 and 1995. Imagine him at his desk, meticulously building the design. The central motif of flowers and fronds—like a fancy ship’s prow cutting through the water—is flanked by these delicate patterns of leaves and flowers, almost like they are being exhaled. It’s almost like the artist is performing a balancing act between order and spontaneity, control and accident. I think of the artist carefully layering colors and shapes, one on top of the other, to achieve the desired effect. The surface has a soft, velvety texture, and the colors—earthy reds, grays, and blacks—create a sense of depth and atmosphere. It's like Doran is talking to other pattern makers, other designers, from his era and before, an ongoing conversation about the possibilities of ornamentation. He invites us to consider the ways in which art can both reflect and shape our understanding of the world.