Drawer Pull c. 1936

Matthew Mangiacotti made this drawing of a ‘Drawer Pull’ with watercolor and graphite on paper. It's pretty small, about the size of a large sketchbook page. I can imagine Mangiacotti carefully mixing his golds and brassy colors to make each of these decorative elements shimmer on the page. The shapes are so precise and elegant! He probably worked as a draftsman for a furniture company or architectural firm. I wonder what other drawings he made? I’m thinking of the countless tradespeople, designers, and illustrators who have labored anonymously to make our world a little more beautiful. These makers are in constant dialogue, borrowing and riffing off one another across time. The beauty of these small objects is their own reward.