Pelerine

Art Historical Context

This watercolor rendering of a pelerine was created by Virginia Berge 1935 and 2 for the Index of American Design a New Deal initiative of the Works Progress Administration. The project hired artists to produce detailed visual records of American decorative arts, folk crafts, and historical objects at a time when many such items risked being lost. Berge’s sheet, executed in watercolor, graphite, and heightening on paper, exemplifies the precise, almost documentary style required by the Index. A pelerine is a short cape or ornamental collar, often richly embroidered or edged in lace, that was ...