Dress c. 1937

Editor: Here we have Mary E. Humes’ "Dress", created around 1937. It's a delicate drawing made with pencil and pastel on paper, showcasing a dress design. It feels almost like a blueprint. What’s your take on it? Curator: As a materialist, my eyes are drawn to the process behind this "Dress". It’s not just about the aesthetic appeal but about the labor involved in design and, hypothetically, in producing the actual dress. The notations surrounding the central image also reveal much of this design's labour and the process through which the design was refined. Editor: So, you are looking at this design as an art object that tells us about the artist's practice? Curator: Precisely! We're dealing with the means of production here. Consider the social context: this was created during the Depression as part of the Federal Art Project. This suggests that design and craft were not divorced from labor and material necessity. The intended audience of this dress's design becomes fascinating as well: Was this pattern intended to be accessible or exclusive? How would consumption factor in here? Editor: Interesting. So you're thinking about how art like this challenges the usual distinctions we make between high art and craft, and its relation to social and economic realities of its time? Curator: Absolutely. It encourages us to see the social dimensions of what we wear. Can a dress pattern transcend pure aesthetics? The very existence of this work speaks to the intersection of class, design and labour during the Great Depression. Editor: That definitely gives me a different perspective. I initially only considered it as a charming design sketch, but you’ve opened my eyes to its broader cultural implications, including the historical context in which this artwork came to be.