Stage Coach Trunk 1939

J. Howard Iams made this watercolor of a stage coach trunk, and, well, it’s more than a record; it's a quiet meditation. I think about Iams at his table, carefully building up the form, layer by layer. The trunk itself is boxy, brown, a little beat up, but the inside lid bursts with naive ornamentation in red and blue – those colors against the brown feel so rich. The gold latch winks at you like an inside joke. I imagine Iams appreciating the contrast between the functional exterior and the fanciful interior, the way it speaks to hidden dreams. It reminds me of some folk art I’ve seen, the kind that makes you think about the stories objects hold, not just what they are. I bet Iams saw that too, the silent narratives tucked away in plain sight. Like any good painting, it makes you wonder what’s inside the box.