Andiron (one of pair)

Art Historical Context

This graphite drawing by Hans Korsch captures one of a pair of andirons, functional fireplace supports that held logs above the hearth. Created around 1937 as part the Index of American Design, the work measures roughly 11 by 8 on paperboard and records an original object standing 25½ inches tall. The Index, a Depression-era project under the Works Progress Administration, sent artists across the United States to produce precise renderings of American decorative arts before such objects disappeared from everyday life. Korsch’s choice of graphite on paperboard allowed for crisp lines and subtle tonal modeling, techniques well suited to the documentary goals of the Index. Rather than romanticizing the andiron, the drawing emphasizes its clean silhouette and structural details, preserving visual information for future scholars and craftspeople. Such careful studies helped establish a visual archive of American material culture at a time when industrialization threatened handcrafted traditions. Today the sheet resides in the National Gallery of Art’s collection, where it continues to illustrate both the artistry of everyday objects and the broader effort to celebrate national design heritage during the 1930s.

About the Artist

Hans Korsch · 1855–present

Hans Korsch was an American artist active during the mid-20th century, primarily around 1935 to the early 1950s, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious New Deal program employed artists to document everyday American folk art and design objects through precise watercolor renderi...