-Bank of Industry- safe still bank c. 1904

Editor: This is "-Bank of Industry- safe still bank" made around 1904 by Kenton Hardware Manufacturing Co. It is made of metal assemblage and the scale is deceptively small. What strikes me is the embossed surface; the textures speak to both decoration and function. How would you approach this piece? Curator: This is a fascinating object precisely because it straddles the line between utility and art. Look closely at the materiality. The mass-produced metal construction speaks volumes about early 20th-century industrial processes and how the value of 'craft' was shifting. Editor: It seems like a critique of the financial industry disguised as an advertisement. Curator: Perhaps. More explicitly, I see it as reflecting on the increasing commodification of everyday life. The ‘bank’ isn't just a repository of value; it is itself a product, made through specific modes of industrial production. Who would have been the target audience for this? Children? Adults? Editor: Probably both, encouraging savings from a young age. But thinking about the means of production, how would Kenton manufacture these so uniformly? Curator: Likely through die-casting, a process that allowed for the rapid and standardized production of complex forms. This mechanization represents a huge shift from individual craftsmanship. Do you think the use of metal, rather than a cheaper material, reinforces or contradicts this idea? Editor: It seems contradictory. The durability of metal suggests lasting value, contrasting with the ephemerality of childhood savings. The safe implies serious capital but serves a playful role, which is ironic. Curator: Precisely! The tension between the material's inherent worth and the object's purpose reveals a commentary on consumerism and value itself. A wonderful microcosm of larger economic forces at play during the period.