Paperweight c. 1848 - 1855

Editor: This is "Paperweight," made sometime between 1848 and 1855 by the Compagnie de Saint Louis, mixing glass, paper, and metal. I find the magnified fruit surprisingly…mundane? It’s like someone immortalized an average afternoon snack. What do you make of it? Curator: Its ‘ordinariness,’ as you say, is exactly the point. Let's think about glassmaking in mid-19th century France. It was becoming increasingly industrialized, moving away from artisanal workshops towards factory production. These paperweights, luxury goods made accessible to the growing bourgeoisie, were essentially byproducts of that new system. What does the glass itself signify here? Editor: So, the clear glass isn’t just…clear? It's a symbol of industrial capabilities? The almost manufactured-looking fruit inside then further emphasizes mass production and availability? Curator: Precisely! And the incorporation of paper and metal further complicates the piece. These are everyday materials, elevated within a fine art object. Are we meant to see the hand of the artist, or are we confronting a novel mode of mechanized art production, a new availability of luxurious products? The paperweight blurs the lines between fine art, craft, and industry. Think about how the rise of department stores offered similar arrangements of mixed-media displays. Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered it in relation to industry itself. I was stuck on the almost kitsch representation. Curator: And what are the social implications when the previously exclusive is now available to all through the machinery of industrial output? Consider the rise of consumer culture and the implications on what and why we collect. It encourages a new approach to the objects around us. Editor: I see it now! What I thought was a simple, decorative item is really a snapshot of a society grappling with industrialization and accessibility. Thanks for pointing that out.