Tea Kettle

Art Historical Context

Behold the delicate graphite drawing *Tea Kettle* by Mildred Ford, created around 1936. This precise rendering captures a modest yet American tea kettle, originally measuring 7 3/4 inches high and inches in diameter. Ford's skilled use of graphite on paper—measuring 29.6 x 22.8 cm—highlights the object's graceful curves, functional spout, and sturdy handle, transforming everyday craftsmanship into a work of art. As part of the Index of American Design, a Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (PA) during the Great, this piece belongs to a monumental effort (1935–1942) to document and celebrate America's folk and decorative arts. Artists like Ford produced thousands of such renderings to preserve cultural heritage amid economic hardship, ensuring that humble household objects like this tea kettle were recognized for their design ingenuity and historical value. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department, *Tea Kettle* exemplifies the Index's artistic technique: meticulous shading and line work that convey texture and form with scientific accuracy. It invites us to appreciate the unsung beauty of American material culture, reminding visitors of the creativity embedded in daily life.

About the Artist

Mildred Ford · 1895–1988

Mildred Ford (1895–1988) was an American artist whose career is indelibly linked to the Index of American Design, a monumental Works Progress Administration (WPA) project launched in the 1930s to document the nation's rich heritage of decorative arts and folk objects. Through her precise renderings, Ford helped preserve intricate details of everyday artifacts—from toleware utensils to Pennsylvania...