Album met informatie over Texaco benzinestations in de staat New York 1937 - 1938

Curator: Standing before us is an unassuming mixed-media piece from around 1937 or 1938, titled "Album met informatie over Texaco benzinestations in de staat New York," created by S.G. Higley. It appears to be a handcrafted album. What are your first thoughts? Editor: A peculiar intimacy. It has the look of a family photo album—well-worn, desaturated colours hinting at another era, and slightly crumpled with the passage of time. Except, instead of smiling faces, it's Texaco stations in New York? I am intrigued! Curator: Yes, precisely! And what stories those Texaco stations might tell about travel, leisure, and the burgeoning car culture! The muted palette lends it a documentary feel. One almost feels a personal connection to this long-lost artifact, almost as if we have unearthed something that should have remained hidden. It presents a faded view of commerce and Americana. Editor: Absolutely. This album itself, even just from its cover, already carries a lot of symbolic weight. A petrol station is an unusual subject to keep notes about; it suggests a certain obsession, perhaps a personal stake in this brand or maybe just a genuine passion for modernist designs. The muted hues contribute to its sense of history, calling to mind aged photographs and bygone advertising eras. Curator: The very textures pull you in, don't they? I mean, can’t you just imagine how the covers would feel beneath your fingertips, smooth in parts, rougher in others. Each imperfection speaks volumes, making you question everything as if each imperfection has a story all to its own. It creates a rather interesting juxtaposition, with those rugged elements of age. Editor: Without a doubt. This piece holds up a mirror to the cultural shift brought on by the automobile and highway infrastructure, something now ubiquitous but, in that time, truly transforming American life and landscapes. And the choice of Texaco as a focus gives it a very specific, almost ritualistic quality, marking it as more than just mere observation but almost a celebration of modern industry. Curator: You've touched upon its lasting impact wonderfully. It reveals the artist's almost poetic contemplation of societal evolution. Editor: Indeed. It’s like uncovering a forgotten monument to modernism’s dawn. The symbols, although everyday, when compiled within, carry more historical and psychological weight than one might imagine.