Dress

Art Historical Context

This watercolor and graphite rendering of a dress, created around 1936 by Melita Hofmann, belongs to the Index of American Design, a landmark New Deal project of the Works Progress Administration. During the Great Depression, the Index employed artists to produce a vast visual archive of American decorative arts, folk objects, and historical artifacts spanning the colonial era through the nineteenth century. Hofmann’s precise depiction captures the details of a garment, contributing to this national effort to document everyday material culture that might otherwise have been lost. The medium o...

About the Artist

Melita Hofmann

Melita C. Hofmann (1907–1976) was a prolific American artist, illustrator, and author whose multifaceted career bridged fine art, historical documentation, and natural history. Born on October 13, 1907, in Toledo, Ohio, her early education reflected a strong foundation in art and design. She graduated from Toledo University and the Parsons School of Design, earning a B.A. in art education from New...