1829 Show Towel
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 55.7 x 44.9 cm (21 15/16 x 17 11/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15345
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of, where we explore America's rich folk art heritage through treasures like *1829 Show Towel* by Frances Lichten. Created between 1935 and 1942, this vibrant watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard (55.7 x 44.9 cm) captures intricate beauty of a traditional Pennsylvania German show towel from 1829 Show towels were prized household linens, often embroidered with elaborate floral motifs, dates, and names to commemorate special occasions, proudly displayed as symbols of craftsmanship and family pride. Lichten's work is part of the Index of American Design...
About the Artist
Frances Lichten
Frances Lichten was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, in 1889. At fourteen she enrolled in the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, where she studied design and interior decoration, while also pursuing landscape painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After graduating she worked as a commercial artist for nearly a decade, building the technical foundation that would later serve...