Whale Oil Lamp
c. 1938
Medium
graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 37.9 x 27.4 cm (14 15/16 x 10 13/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 10" high; 3 7/8" long; 1" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12304
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Whale Oil Lamp*, a meticulous graphite drawing on paperboard by Howard Lard, created around 1938. Measuring 37.9 x 27.4 cm, this work captures the delicate form of a small, historic lamp—originally about 10 inches high, 3 7/8 inches long, and1 inch wide—used in early America for illumination with whale oil. Part of the National Gallery of's Index of American Design collection, it exemplifies the era's effort to celebrate everyday objects as cultural treasures. The Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from 1935 to 1942, employed artists during the...