Hoop c. 1940

Curator: At first glance, this drawing by Jean Gordon—believed to have been created around 1940— strikes me as remarkably delicate. The faint pencil lines give it an ephemeral quality. What do you see? Editor: My immediate thought is construction. The exposed armature has such potential—almost a structural diagram. You immediately see the skeleton holding this shape. The hoops and supporting tapes. I think it speaks to design innovation. Curator: Indeed. The lines have the barest whisper of shading and hint at a much wider history. "Hoop" acts as a symbol of societal expectation and constraint regarding female identity throughout several historical eras. Do you think this drawing suggests such things? Editor: Potentially, but my main focus is what the choice of subject shows. To draw, to record, not the finery of the final garment, but the understructure itself. I see here, in stark relief, the production and the labour behind it. The materiality comes before the effect. Curator: Interesting take! I would not immediately describe the emotional implications. It speaks volumes about cultural norms that women endured for what would be perceived beauty. A very visible expression of confinement. What’s that saying? Women suffer to be beautiful… Editor: It absolutely brings forward considerations about what's underneath, what sustains it. And I appreciate the clean line of the drawing, too, it demystifies it, it doesn't invite us to dwell only in historical, sentimental, interpretations. Curator: Perhaps Jean Gordon was looking at her cultural history. Drawing it as part of looking towards the future in her role as head of the Fine Art Department in Western Australia… Perhaps she thought the structure, no longer in mainstream use, required documenting for future study. Editor: It brings forth an examination of technique, a consideration for the structure. So, ultimately, perhaps a more neutral, even analytical view of garment-making than you might have expected, considering the symbolism. Curator: Exactly! A visual legacy. Seeing beyond beauty. A new interpretation. Editor: So much labor. Fascinating indeed.