Barber Shop 1935 - 1942

Editor: This is Perkins Harnly’s "Barber Shop," a watercolor and pencil drawing made sometime between 1935 and 1942. It has a real stillness to it, doesn't it? A sort of nostalgic hush hangs in the air. What do you see in it? Curator: That's a wonderful way to describe it, it absolutely radiates stillness. For me, Harnly captured more than just a place; it's a feeling, an echo of a slower-paced world. Notice the incredible detail. It almost feels like peering into a miniature theater set, meticulously crafted with its ornate chairs, the rows of shaving mugs… even the calendar girl! What does the careful rendering of each object suggest to you? Editor: Maybe that these spaces were really cared for. That it represents a real investment and sense of community. Curator: Exactly. These weren’t just businesses, they were social hubs, places for connection. Harnly, through his painstaking detail, elevates the everyday. There's a certain Americana quality about it as well, a quiet pride in the commonplace. Editor: I didn't think about it like that, the idea of elevating something so ordinary. That kind of changes how I view the image. I was really drawn in by the colors, it's very earthy. Curator: It has a gentle color palette that reflects a period, doesn’t it? Imagine the stories those chairs could tell! Or all of those personalized shaving mugs… like tiny monuments to individual lives lived and now frozen in time. Perhaps we should all memorialize the ordinary moments more? Editor: Definitely gives you a new perspective on…everything! Curator: Art is funny like that. We come to it seeking answers, but often end up finding new questions. And new ways of appreciating the perfectly ordinary, and gloriously quiet things, just like this "Barber Shop" of Mr. Harnly.