Spur c. 1938

Curator: It has a real stillness to it. I find my eye lingering on every meticulous detail. Editor: We’re looking at “Spur,” a pencil drawing by Edward Jewett, dating from around 1938. The drawing presents a singular object: a western riding spur with its leather strap. It’s deceptively simple, but Jewett’s craftsmanship elevates it beyond the ordinary. Curator: The metalwork is incredible! There's this filigree that dances around the heel band. It's almost playful, defying the potentially aggressive nature of the object. Does it have a sense of romance that you see, too? Editor: Certainly. These were implements deeply embedded in a specific social reality and in gender dynamics, a visual shorthand for both power and tradition during a time when the myth of the Wild West was being heavily promoted. We're drawn in precisely because they are both beautiful objects and artifacts of a powerful system of historical symbolism. Curator: The way Jewett captures the textures is captivating. The worn leather, the shine of the metal...it almost feels like you could reach out and touch it. He sees beauty in the mundane, perhaps hinting at the deeper stories embedded within even a single object. What’s the strap actually made of? Editor: Well, riding spurs, in this time and place, are both gendered and political objects and should be viewed, analyzed, and contextualized as such. Here the strap appears meticulously rendered in a combination of tooled leather and what appears to be fur inlay—again speaking to craft and material specificity. Curator: So, in essence, this isn’t *just* a spur but a miniature portrait of a time, a place, and a value system that we are left to interpret in today’s world? The care and intricacy with which Jewett rendered "Spur," seems to imbue it with respect, too. A connection to a past and craft? Editor: I think you've struck the balance; Edward Jewett has definitely left us something remarkable here! A humble spur is seen not as merely a utilitarian instrument, but a testament to craftsmanship and tradition—simultaneously simple, complex, and beautiful.