Peg Lamp c. 1938

Curator: It feels delicately haunting, doesn’t it? Editor: Haunting is the word. I am captivated by the soft grays. There is a real ghostly presence, like it exists on the periphery of memory. Curator: This lovely pencil drawing, titled "Peg Lamp," was created around 1938 by John Dana. It renders what appears to be a glass lamp component. Editor: Dana captures the play of light on glass effectively. The careful rendering speaks volumes about his material investigation—the facets, curves, the labor embedded in manufacturing this object. Do you agree? Curator: I do, especially since domestic spaces of that era became arenas of societal norms, heavily coded with gender and class expectations. We could ask, how does the choice of rendering a lamp fit into narratives about interiority and gendered labor? Does this portrayal uphold the established norms, or does it subvert them? Editor: Or, even more specifically, what social context of lamp making in the United States during the late 30’s informed the means through which Dana captured the production and circulation of these kinds of goods. After all, electric lighting shifted material needs within domestic sphere and its gendered social constructs. Curator: Indeed. What is fascinating here is that the delicate lines offer a glimpse into broader dialogues that interrogate consumption patterns and their effects on people, relationships, and communities. How might this object—now transformed into a simple drawing—invite new avenues of reflection and social commentary today? Editor: Well, for me it asks, how can close examination of process, material, and means open space to new ways to challenge value attribution, by demystifying how those in positions of social power have been ascribed value. Curator: It reminds me of the importance of excavating and highlighting these seemingly humble objects, for they are really nodes in expansive networks of power and agency. Editor: Agreed. There’s real agency here, even in the humblest pencil stroke.