Handkerchief 1935 - 1942

This is a Handkerchief by an anonymous artist. Looking at the red, black, and white floral patterns, I think about the kind of labor it takes to make cloth, to dye it, print it, sew it. I am immediately drawn to the idea of domestic labor, what women have historically done with their hands. Were these made at home, or in a factory? The labor is in the imperfections of the pattern. It's easy to imagine the artist carefully placing each motif. There’s repetition but the slight variations make each element unique. I like to think about what the artist was thinking about while they made these patterns. Were they dreaming of far-off places, or simply trying to make a living? There's a conversation happening across the centuries through this beautiful Handkerchief. These humble textiles speak to me about the daily grind.