Press Cupboard c. 1938

Curator: Charles Henning, around 1938, depicted what he titled “Press Cupboard” in watercolor. Editor: Oh, it’s so unassuming! A shy sort of cupboard rendered with such a gentle hand. I can almost feel the quiet dust motes dancing in a sunbeam around it. Curator: It is deceptively simple. Henning’s choice of watercolor is important here; it lends itself well to representing the particular materiality of this object, the specific type of wood, its construction. You see a piece of vernacular design made fine through representation. Editor: And perhaps a bit lonely, no? Sitting isolated on this field of paper. It feels less like a celebration of utility and more like a memory, or a fading echo. I imagine it stored linens smelling of lavender, long since faded, of course. Curator: The cupboard itself represents the labor of crafting such furniture during the Depression. How everyday objects embody specific labor practices and processes of making. Editor: Absolutely. It speaks to a sense of careful crafting but there’s a strange stillness about it too. Like time has stopped just for this one little drawing. It has a sort of melancholy beauty, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps remembering a time of less consumption. Curator: The color palette, quite limited, speaks of frugality and resourcefulness – themes resonant with that time period. Even the medium—watercolor on paper, less extravagant than oils on canvas. Editor: Indeed! Almost like a haiku crafted with watercolors! One wonders about its actual utility and function. Whether its shelves are home to neat stacks, or hide more esoteric curiosities. Curator: Seeing the everyday in a new way— I think both the artist and the art contribute to that goal. Thank you for your insight. Editor: And thank you for showing me this unassuming piece. It truly holds the secrets of many generations of hands.