Infant's Bib
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 30.2 x 37 cm (11 7/8 x 14 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
1943.8.1830
Art Historical Context
This watercolor and graphite drawing an infant’s bib was created by Virginia Berge between 1935 and1942 as part of Index of American Design. The modest-sized work on paper belongs to a vast federal project that commissioned artists to record historic American decorative arts and folk objects with exceptional accuracy and beauty. Berge used transparent watercolor washes for color and graphite for fine linear detail, a combination favored by Index artists because it produced both luminous fidelity and precise documentation. The subject itself—an everyday child’s garment—illustrates the project’...