Coffee Mill
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 39.2 x 36.7 cm (15 7/16 x 14 7/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9457
Art Historical Context
**Coffee Mill** by Clarence W. Dawson, created around 1940, captures the humble yet elegant form of a traditional American coffee grinder in watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard. Measuring about 15½ by 14½ inches, this precise rendering belongs to the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design collection (Department CG-W). Dawson's meticulous technique brings out the object's wooden textures, metal fittings, and functional curves, transforming an everyday tool into a study of craftsmanship. As part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA)...