-Cupola- mechanical bank c. 1874

Curator: Well, that certainly has a peculiar charm. Is it meant to be… whimsical? Editor: Let’s delve into this curious artifact. This is the "-Cupola- mechanical bank" created around 1874, its maker is listed as Diedrich Diekmann. It's currently held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It seems to be crafted from cast iron, likely with some pigments applied for color. Curator: It has an unusual architecture, doesn't it? The tower element is clearly meant to suggest some sort of public building... Perhaps representative of aspirational social values? The imagery does have that Victorian Era feel to it... Editor: The symbol of the tower as a safe-haven is everpresent, don't you agree? Note that little man popping out under the cupola when the mechanism is activated by inserting a coin. Almost like magic! Saving money becomes this fascinating visual display. Curator: Do you think this piece romanticizes industry or entrepreneurship? A miniature capitalist temple perhaps? How did the target demographic of middle class families view the connection between the financial reward cycle in correlation to virtue? Editor: I see an intriguing paradox. The architectural symbolism conveys stability and establishment, yet the playful mechanism speaks to change and uncertainty. Maybe the child sees his little contribution making a big change and creating reward. I wonder, were they also exposed to these symbols within the architectural imagery of the buildings in the cities? Curator: Absolutely, these children saw symbols, in urban settings, every single day. These sort of savings tools normalized these symbols. If you saved you'd obtain rewards... you'd be like that strong stable tower. That makes the act of saving both enjoyable and instructional. I think this speaks to that societal desire to shape children's financial values. It almost plays like a microcosm of society itself, right? Editor: You've put your finger on its enduring resonance, this isn’t merely about pennies, it embodies this hope and promise of economic security from an earlier moment in our shared memory. A beautiful example of our ever evolving and complicated relationship to societal infrastructure and cultural wealth.