Piano Forte
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.4 x 29.3 cm (8 13/16 x 11 9/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 68 3/8" long; 26 1/4" high; 13 13/16" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12750
Art Historical Context
**Piano Forte**, a captivating watercolor rendering by Ferdinand Cartier around 1936, captures the elegant of an early American pianoforte. Part of the *Index of American Design*IAD), a New Deal-era project under the Works Progress Administration, this artwork meticulously documents a historic musical instrument measuring 68⅜ inches long, ¼ inches high, and 13⅞ inches wide. Created on paperboard with watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink, it the IAD's mission to preserve America's folk art and design heritage through precise, colorful illustrations amid the Great Depression. Cartier's skilled...
About the Artist
Ferdinand Cartier
Ferdinand Cartier is an artist whose historical record remains limited. No confirmed birth or death dates have been established, and his national origin and training background are not documented in surviving sources, making it difficult to place him within any specific artistic tradition or school. Cartier's presence in museum collections, with close to fifty works attributed to him, points to a...