Card Table 1935 - 1942

This is a drawing of a card table by Bessie Forman. She was born in 1855, so I like to imagine her sitting in a room full of antiques, maybe in a library or by a fireplace, carefully rendering this table with delicate lines and earthy colors. I can almost feel the smooth grain of the wood beneath my fingertips. She's paid so much attention to the details. You can see the claw feet on the bottom of the legs, and how they seem to grip the floor, offering stability. The dark brown color feels so grounded, like she's reaching back to this history of furniture making. Did you notice the drawings in the top corners? I imagine she wanted to be able to turn the drawing into a set of instructions. And I bet she knew that other artists and craftspeople would be taking her ideas and finding new ways to add their own voices. Each interpretation is like a conversation across time.