Chest c. 1936

Ada V. May made this watercolor and graphite drawing of a chest. Its cultural value resides less in its aesthetic qualities and more in its capacity to evoke a sense of history and memory. In late 19th-century America, we find an increasing interest in the colonial past, often expressed through collecting and displaying antique furniture. This drawing participates in that cultural moment. The watercolor replicates the original craft of the carved chest; the drawing's intricate details and careful rendering invite viewers to appreciate it as an object of both utility and art. The Arts and Crafts movement was in full swing, celebrating handcrafts, at a time when industrial production was increasingly the norm. Historians might look at the archives of the Index of American Design for similar examples to understand how the imagery, its cultural meaning and the institutional history of its creation are all intertwined.