[title not known] 

Editor: This is a sketch by Charles Martin from 1852, currently untitled, in the Tate collection. It's just pen on paper, but there's a charming domesticity to it. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: The rapid strokes forming the woman's dress, juxtaposed with the more detailed chest of drawers, suggest a hierarchy of labor. The artist seems less concerned with the rendering of the figure itself, but I wonder about the social context. How does the consumption of images, even in sketch form, reflect broader class dynamics of the period? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered! Curator: Thinking about the materiality, the availability of paper and ink, the artist's skill and time - all speak to a certain privilege and a system of production. Considering the social context helps us understand the work beyond just its aesthetic qualities. Editor: I'm beginning to see how materials and labor speak volumes! Thanks for this new perspective.