Swordfish Weather Vane
1938
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 24.1 x 40.5 cm (9 1/2 x 15 15/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 36" high; 81" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16260
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Swordfish Weather Vane a vibrant 1938 rendering by artist Robert Pohle, crafted in watercolor and graphite on paper24.1 x 40.5 cm). This depiction captures the dynamic form of an original folk art weather vane measuring 36 inches high and81 inches long, its sleek swordfish body poised to swivel with the winds, emblematic of America's maritime heritage. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a Federal Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression—Pohle's work documents everyday American craftsmanship from the 18th and 19th centuries. Lau...
About the Artist
Robert Pohle
Robert Pohle is an artist about whom the available historical record provides limited documentation. His dates and nationality have not been firmly established, and the circumstances of his training and career remain unclear from currently available sources. The works associated with his name suggest a practiced hand, but without reliable biographical anchors it is not possible to place him confid...