Unframed Birth Certificate c. 1940

Curator: Today, we're looking at a watercolor drawing titled "Unframed Birth Certificate" believed to be from around 1940, signed by Edward White. What strikes you most about it? Editor: It feels incredibly personal, almost fragile. The soft colors and naive style evoke a sense of handmade intimacy. It resembles a treasured folk object or antique greeting card. Curator: It’s interesting you mention fragility. Birth certificates in many societies function as one's primary source documentations for official legal and political validation, while others might have experienced such documentation denied, damaged, or destroyed throughout history, as such documents were perceived dangerous by socio-political forces. This folk piece thus speaks volumes, whether "official" or not. Editor: Yes! And the heart motif immediately draws me to think of birth and its relation to the concept of "love". A decorative border, symmetrical birds... all suggest familial and cultural rituals, of a certain type of love, in documenting a significant life event. There's an immediate cultural link between this image, these decorative elements and birth. Curator: Precisely. Certificates became particularly politicized as they documented belonging, which shaped individuals' status. The imagery here, of two colorful birds as a central focus, feels symbolic for me. These birds are potentially meant to represent family connections, community relationships and cultural identities at this historical turning point, during WWII, as their meanings had drastically shifted, when nation states became obsessed with monitoring identity. Editor: You're right to consider how documentation intersected with cultural identity and anxieties of belonging at this specific point in time. Are there certain populations, do you think, who might have produced, or needed to produce these alternative forms of birth records? Curator: Most likely ethnic or minority groups who had previously migrated away from the region it came from. Also families within lower-income social status who faced documentation inadequacies. Editor: So, perhaps this artist reframes the meaning of what birth documentation entails to become a deeply intimate act of family and cultural affirmation instead of being institutional controlled? Curator: I believe so, particularly in light of documentation inadequacies for groups facing such institutional discrimination. Editor: Seeing beyond this fragile folk piece now I realize how historically laden a 'birth certificate' really is. Curator: Agreed, and reflecting on the artist who has made this "unofficial" and lovingly embellished birth document as a significant political marker in society has been eye-opening.