The Casino 

Muirhead Bone created "The Casino" in watercolor, offering us a glimpse into the social and cultural landscape of his time. Bone, born in Scotland, lived through a period marked by significant shifts in class structures and social mobility, particularly visible in leisure and entertainment. This work invites us to consider how pleasure and leisure spaces reflected and reinforced societal norms. The casino, depicted with architectural grandeur, becomes a stage upon which the drama of social class is played out. Who had access to these spaces? What behaviors were sanctioned or prohibited? How did gender and race intersect with these class dynamics? Bone’s choice to depict this scene offers insights into the values and anxieties of his era. "The Casino" doesn’t just show us a building; it reflects the complex relationship between societal progress, personal identity, and the spaces we inhabit. It prompts us to consider whose stories are told and whose are left out.