Child's Dress

Art Historical Context

This delicate rendering of a child's dress, created around 1936 by Dorothy Gernon, belongs to the Index of American Design, a landmark New Deal-era project. Launched during the Great Depression as part of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, the Index commissioned artists to produce precise visual records of American decorative arts, crafts, and everyday objects. Gernon's contribution captures a garment that speaks to the intimate details of childhood and domestic life in America's past. Executed in watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard, the work exemplifies the ...