Flat Iron Stand
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.9 x 34.5 cm (9 x 13 9/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15812
Art Historical Context
**Flat Iron Stand** by Leslie Macklem, created around 1938, captures the humble elegance of an everyday American household object from the Index of American Design. This watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard (22.9 x 34.5 cm) showcases a sturdy stand designed to hold heavy cast-iron flat irons—those pre-electric tools essential for ironing clothes in 19th- and early 20th-century homes Macklem's precise depiction highlights the object's functional form, likely crafted from wood with simple joinery, evoking the ingenuity of vernacular American design. As part of the Federal Art Project...