Afternoon Dress 1935 - 1942

Editor: Here we have Nancy Crimi's "Afternoon Dress," created between 1935 and 1942 using tempera. It's strikingly elegant, almost reminiscent of the Victorian era but simplified. What aspects of its creation and design strike you the most? Curator: I see it as a complex articulation of femininity and domesticity in a period of shifting social roles. The choice of tempera gives the dress a certain flatness, a distance. This wasn’t simply about creating a beautiful garment; it was about framing an ideal of womanhood. Who was this woman intended to be? What did that ideal represent, and for whom? Editor: I hadn’t considered that distance. It's a design drawing, of course, but I was mostly focused on the details of the lace and fabric. Do you think the '30s and '40s setting matters to its interpretation? Curator: Absolutely. Think about the social context: The Depression, followed by World War II. Clothing design became not just about luxury but also about resilience, practicality, and the illusion of normalcy amidst crisis. Was this a call to maintain traditional roles, or a quiet act of defiance in preserving beauty during wartime? Editor: That's a powerful way to look at it – a form of resistance. Seeing it that way definitely makes it more impactful. Curator: Precisely. This work can challenge us to look at something as seemingly simple as a dress, and to really understand the intersection of aesthetics, power, and history embedded within it. Editor: I'll definitely view historical fashion with fresh eyes going forward. Thank you.