Log Marker
1939
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28 x 35.5 cm (11 x 14 in.) Original IAD Object: 4 3/8" long; 1 1/2" in diameter; 10 1/4" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8920
Art Historical Context
**Log Marker**, a meticulous 1939 rendering by artist Frank Volem, captures humble ingenuity of American folk craftsmanship as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This ambitious WPA Federal Art Project, launched during the Great Depression, employed artists across the U.S. document everyday objects reflecting the nation's cultural heritage—from tools to textiles. Volem's work preserves a "log marker," a practical wooden device used by lumbermen to measure and identify logs in forests or mills, with original dimensions of about 4⅜ inches long, 1½ inches in diameter, and 10¼ inches overa...