Wall Design 1935 - 1942

Editor: This is "Wall Design," a watercolor, colored pencil, and watercolor drawing on paper created anonymously between 1935 and 1942. The design feels very… folk-arty to me. The stylized deer and eagle seem particularly symbolic. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: This piece operates as a fascinating visual artifact that exists within a specific sociopolitical context. We see a representation of an eagle with the words "Federal Union". It's rendered in a deliberately naive style. How does that juxtaposition strike you, particularly in light of the anonymous nature of its creator and the historical context of the late 1930s and early 40s? Editor: I suppose it gives it an official-unofficial kind of feel, like propaganda, but done on the down-low, or even…a bit subversive, maybe? The style clashes with the expected formality of the subject matter. Curator: Exactly. Considering the historical period, marked by economic depression and anxieties around national identity, how might this design speak to both a desire for unity and perhaps, a questioning of established power structures? The presence of both the eagle and the deer…it brings up questions of who is truly included in that ‘federal union,’ right? Who gets represented, and who is absent from this visual narrative? Editor: That's a great point. The deer could symbolize the natural resources of the nation but also Indigenous populations...so, the juxtaposition does open a broader question about power, identity, and belonging during this era. Curator: And how those dynamics are visualized. It compels us to ask, even in seemingly simple design, whose stories are being told, and from what perspective? It is very potent. Editor: I see how a closer look unveils those layers of cultural and historical relevance and how it prompts those kinds of intersectional questions. Thank you!