Shirt

Art Historical Context

This precise watercolor and graphite rendering of a shirt, created around 1937 by artist Virginia Berge, belongs to the Index of American Design, a landmark New Deal initiative at the National Gallery of Art. Produced on paperboard, the work exemplifies the project's commitment to documenting everyday American objects with scientific accuracy and artistic care. The Index of American Design, part of the Federal Art Project during the Great Depression, employed hundreds of artists to record the nation's material heritage—from colonial furniture and textiles to folk crafts—before many examples d...