Lamp

Art Historical Context

Behold the delicate rendering *Lamp* by Giacinto Capelli, created around 1937 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This watercolor and graphite work on paperboard (28.8 x 22.6 cm) meticulously captures a modest 7½-inch-high American lamp, preserving its form for posterity. Housed in the National Gallery of, it exemplifies the IAD's mission to document everyday objects that embodied the nation's cultural heritage. During the Great Depression, the IAD—a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (1935–1942)—employed artists like Capelli to produce vibrant, accurate illustrations of American folk art, crafts, and design. These renderings safeguarded fragile or vanishing artifacts, from quilts to furniture, highlighting regional craftsmanship and the democratic spirit of American aesthetics. Capelli's contribution underscores how ordinary items like this lamp reflected ingenuity and tradition in daily life. The mixed media technique—watercolor for luminous color and graphite for precise lines—lends the piece a lifelike quality, making the viewer feel the lamp's tactile charm. Today, it invites us to appreciate the unsung beauty of American design, bridging past and present in the gallery's collection.

About the Artist

Giacinto Capelli · 1855–present

**Giacinto Capelli** (American, active c. 1935–1942) contributed significantly to the documentation of American material culture through his precise watercolor renderings as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Little is known about his early life or formal training, which remains sparsely documented, though his expertise in wat...