Side Saddle - California Syle c. 1937

Curator: Goodness, the riot of blooms! It's almost aggressively cheerful. Makes you wonder if the horse minded being perched atop what looks like a particularly lush English garden. Editor: This is "Side Saddle - California Style" dating from around 1937, attributed to Harry Mann Waddell. The materials listed include watercolor, paint and colored pencil on paper. Curator: Waddell has an incredibly detailed hand. Each individual petal feels distinct, almost like a study of various rose types layered one over the other. Is it me, or is there a certain formality to the design despite its vivacity? Editor: The side saddle is so deeply gendered. Side saddles allowed women riders to maintain propriety—or, rather, to perform it. So this isn’t simply a celebration of horsemanship, but rather of imposed and negotiated roles. The floral pattern could even read as an assertion of feminine space and control within the confines of tradition. Curator: You’re right, that lens opens up so many narratives. It becomes more than just a pretty depiction—the choice of lush, vibrant flowers, that very specific saddle type – it hints at a defiance, a reclamation of power under a disguise. Editor: The floral arrangement and realism definitely point to a romantic sensibility of the era; yet, even in Waddell's painstaking rendering of the saddle, a ghost of the lived experiences – and imposed restrictions – is always visible. A tension emerges between decoration and its symbolic underpinnings, don't you think? Curator: Absolutely! It makes me appreciate the complexity that might seem initially hidden beneath the surface of decorative art. One envisions the rider in impeccable Victorian riding habit atop, a seemingly fragile thing... yet on a magnificent, powerful creature of their own! A statement within a statement. Editor: And beyond the visual pleasure, the artwork is a potent entry point into conversations about the gaze, performativity and historical agency. Looking at this artwork now, the floral arrangement suggests resilience and quiet protest, pushing boundaries subtly but surely. Curator: Well, now, thanks to your interpretation, it won't simply be eye-candy to me; I can see it is about much more. This lovely, innocent illustration becomes something far more layered with meanings. Editor: Agreed. And perhaps those are all that truly good art ever is: starting points for further inquiries into ourselves.