Bowl
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.9 x 22.4 cm (11 3/8 x 8 13/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.17818
Art Historical Context
This delicate watercolor and graphite rendering of a bowl, created around 1940 by John Dana, belongs to the Index of American Design, a remarkable federal project of the 1930s and 1940s. Sponsored under the Works Progress Administration, the Index aimed to document and preserve America’s rich tradition of decorative arts through precise, hand-rendered illustrations. Artists like Dana traveled across the country to capture everyday and antique objects, ensuring their designs would survive even if the originals did not. Measuring just under 12 by 9 inches, the work on paperboard showcases the c...
About the Artist
John Dana
**John Dana** (American, active c. 1935) was a meticulous draftsman whose artistic legacy is inextricably linked to the Index of American Design, a landmark Works Progress Administration (WPA) project launched during the Great Depression to catalog and celebrate the nation's folk art and craftsmanship. Operating primarily out of the New York City project, Dana produced hundreds of precise renderin...