Rose Hartwell’s painting of a pawn shop might bring to mind thrifting, vintage objects, and searching for that special something. Yet pawn shops also attest to acts of financial desperation. This depiction of a pawn shop corner window includes valuables like a traditional Chinese cash coin, cowrie and spiral seashells, a Grecian-style vase, and gold and silver jewelry intermingled with open pocket watches.
In the U.S., the Panic of 1893 created major economic distress and financial turmoil that would have forced many to turn to pawn shops. Pawn shops offered cash loans while holding onto valuable objects as collateral. However, failure to repay meant forfeiting their collateral to the pawnbroker. The hope was to repay the loan and return for their belongings. But failure to repay meant their valuables could be sold, as seen here with the price tags attached to objects in this corner window.
This work is currently on view in Crossing the Divide: American Art from the Permanent Collection.
