Pa. German Patch Box
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 50.7 x 38.2 cm (19 15/16 x 15 1/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12955
Art Historical Context
**Pa. German Patch Box** is a meticulous rendering by artist Albert Levone, created 1935 and 1942 as part of the Index of American Design. This watercolor and-and-ink depiction on paperboard (50.7 x 38.2 cm) captures intricate beauty of a traditional Pennsylvania German patch box—a small, oval sewing accessory beloved in 18th- and 19th-century Pennsylvania Dutch communities. Levone's work showcases the box's vibrant floral motifs, hearts, and geometric patterns, hallmarks of this folk art tradition influenced by German immigrants. Produced under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress A...
About the Artist
Albert Levone
Albert Levone was an American artist who contributed to the Index of American Design, the Works Progress Administration's landmark program to document the nation's decorative arts heritage through precise watercolor rendering. Active during the late 1930s and early 1940s, Levone focused his work on the material culture of the Pennsylvania German community, producing renderings of objects that incl...