-Southern Comfort- (silver color) mechanical bank 1953

Curator: This is Duro Mold and Manufacturing Inc.’s “Southern Comfort” mechanical bank from 1953. Editor: It’s...unsettling. The combination of a militarized figure and the Southern Comfort bottle makes me a bit queasy. Curator: Indeed, the bank functions via the user placing a coin in the soldier's gun. When the trigger is pulled, the coin shoots into the liquor bottle. It’s more than kitsch; it's an embodiment of post-war American capitalism. Editor: And all rendered in this... cast metal, probably, giving it a heavy, mass-produced feel. It really highlights the industry surrounding leisure and, well, potential addiction. Curator: Consider the narrative: the South's troubled history, memorialized by a company with origins that arguably perpetuate social inequality. This is also occurring in a period of increasing wealth disparity, reflecting social anxieties, even as they are obscured by mass-produced objects. Editor: Absolutely. And let’s not forget the implied labor involved – both in the bank's production and potentially in the acquisition of the coins that fill it. Who exactly is indulging in this “comfort”, and at whose expense? The materials alone—metal molded into the shapes of war and indulgence—speak volumes. Curator: It also prompts reflection on themes related to consumption, power and control: who wields the 'gun', who has the comfort? The metal also gives the product an interesting aesthetic, seemingly harmless, while acting out scenarios that hold darker histories. Editor: This piece certainly embodies a troubling irony – promising leisure while alluding to the violence inherent in consumer culture. Thanks for offering such pointed historical frameworks to examine this complex assemblage. Curator: My pleasure. It reminds us to examine these items beyond face value, and explore embedded social commentary on power and historical injustice in what seems merely entertainment.