Woman's Slipper

Art Historical Context

This watercolor and graphite rendering of a slipper was created by Virginia Berge 1941 for the Index of American Design, a landmark federal project now housed at the National Gallery of Art Measuring just over nine by twelve inches on paperboard, the work reflects the precise, documentary style required of the Index, which employed hundreds of artists to record America's decorative arts heritage with exceptional fidelity. The Index of American Design operated from 1935 to 1942 as part of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Artists like Berge produced thousands of detailed...