Grandfather's Clock (Old Pine) c. 1936

Editor: So, here we have Edith Magnette's "Grandfather's Clock (Old Pine)," a drawing from around 1936. The muted colors give it a very nostalgic, almost ghostly feel. What resonates with you most about this particular work? Curator: What strikes me is the technical drawing aspect combined with the hand-rendered feel. Consider the context: 1936, the Depression era. Time wasn't just money; it was survival. Clocks, and especially grandfather clocks, represent a connection to lineage, tradition, and inherited time. How might the act of drawing, a deliberate and handcrafted practice, play into notions of labor and the passage of time? Editor: I hadn't thought about that at all! I was so focused on the object itself. The way you frame it, I start to wonder if it's less about the clock and more about Magnette's commentary on societal pressures? Curator: Precisely. Is this a symbol of oppressive tradition, or a longing for the stability it represents? The fragility of the medium – the aged paper, the light pencil work – creates tension. It raises questions about how we inherit, record, and ultimately reckon with time, tradition and family in an industrializing world. Where does this clock "stand" relative to our ideas about production? Editor: That gives me so much to think about, especially connecting the materials with the historical context. Curator: These are complex questions with no easy answers. Art often functions as a mirror, reflecting back the anxieties and aspirations of a particular time. Thinking about how artists work *through* such topics as family, time, and labor provides great insights to understanding their broader perspective on culture and industrial society. Editor: It's like Magnette used a seemingly simple drawing to unpack this whole box of ideas. I'll definitely look at drawings differently from now on!