Toy Bank c. 1940

Curator: The mood in this drawing is so delicate; a sort of wistful nostalgia emanates from the soft color palette and careful details. Editor: This work is titled "Toy Bank," created around 1940 by William O. Fletcher. The medium appears to be a combination of drawing techniques on toned paper – perhaps watercolor, pencil, and even oil pastel. Curator: The image immediately recalls old folktales of luck and hard work and making something out of very little. I can easily imagine coins clinking into the bank within. But there’s also this image of the hardworking mule…what meaning is embedded in this symbol, do you suppose? Editor: Mules in art often represent both stubbornness and resilience. Given the date, and the focus on a child's bank, could this reflect anxieties around scarcity during and after the Depression era? Savings became incredibly vital to a whole generation that was struck hard financially. Curator: Absolutely. And notice how the bank’s structure itself mirrors a well or wishing-well? There’s such a strong suggestion here of the hopes pinned to saving even the smallest sum, investing belief in a better future. Were banks especially symbolic during the '40s? Editor: Banks gained both increased importance and scrutiny, I imagine. While there was relief after the Great Depression when people slowly regained their savings, distrust was high due to the prevalence of corruption, bankruptcies, and foreclosures of small businesses. The fragility of the economy and its structures, I'd assume, seeped into how the people perceived financial safety. Curator: I am fascinated by this layering of cultural anxieties embedded in what looks like a simple child’s toy. The mule strains, but so does a generation trying to pull themselves back from ruin by saving what little they have. A stark picture of post-Depression attitudes. Editor: The drawing achieves that nuance through a clever choice of symbolism; the imagery is simultaneously playful and subtly serious. A complex portrait indeed!