Drapery Study; verso: Drapery Study with Sword c. 19th century

Editor: This is Edward Burne-Jones' "Drapery Study" from the Harvard Art Museums, a delicate pencil sketch. It feels quite academic, a real exploration of fabric. What do you see in its making? Curator: It's fascinating to consider this study in the context of Victorian textile production. Burne-Jones was deeply engaged with the Arts and Crafts movement, challenging the industrialization of fabric design. How does this drawing, as a handmade object, speak to those concerns? Editor: So the very act of sketching this drapery is a statement in itself, a kind of resistance to machine-made textiles? That’s interesting. Curator: Exactly. It elevates the craft, emphasizing the skill and labor involved, pushing back against the devaluation of handmade items in a rapidly industrializing society. This was more than just practice. Editor: I never considered the social implications of a simple sketch before. Curator: Seeing the art object as part of a larger network of materials, labor, and consumption gives us a whole new perspective, doesn’t it?