Design from Proposed Portfolio
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 46 x 35.8 cm (18 1/8 x 14 1/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.18106
Art Historical Context
Majel G. Claflin's *Design from Proposed Portfolio*1935/1942) is a captivating example of American artistic documentation from the Great Depression era. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a Federal Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA)—this work features watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper, measuring 46 x 35.8 cm. The Index commissioned artists nationwide to produce precise, colorful renderings of everyday American objects, crafts, and designs, preserving a visual record of the nation's cultural heritage at a time when many artifacts faced neglect or destruc...
About the Artist
Majel G. Claflin
Majel G. Claflin (1893–1941) was an American artist best known for her meticulous documentation of Spanish Colonial folk art from northern New Mexico. Active in Taos, New Mexico, during the late 1930s, she produced watercolor renderings as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration that aimed to catalog regional American crafts and tradition...