Water Pitcher
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 26.9 x 22.6 cm (10 9/16 x 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.10676
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate rendering of *Water Pitcher* by John Dana, created around 1936. This intimate watercolor, graphite, and gouache work on paperboard measures just 26.9 x 22.6 cm, capturing the form of a classic American water pitcher with meticulous detail. Dana's skilled hand brings out the vessel's graceful curves, subtle sheen, and functional beauty, transforming everyday crockery into a celebrated object of design. As part of the of American Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from the 1930s—this piece exemplifies a national effort to document and preserve America's rich fol...
About the Artist
John Dana
**John Dana** (American, active c. 1935) was a meticulous draftsman whose artistic legacy is inextricably linked to the Index of American Design, a landmark Works Progress Administration (WPA) project launched during the Great Depression to catalog and celebrate the nation's folk art and craftsmanship. Operating primarily out of the New York City project, Dana produced hundreds of precise renderin...