Apple Peeler
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and goauche on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 26.5 x 35.7 cm (10 7/16 x 14 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: base: 22" long; 7" wide; uprights: 4 1/2" high; Turning arm: 8" long; cutting arm: 9" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.11154
Art Historical Context
Henrietta S. Hukill's *Apple Peeler* (c. 1939) is a meticulous rendering from the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project that employed artists during the Great Depression to document America's folk art and everyday objects. This watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and gouache work on paperboard captures a classic 19th-century kitchen tool—measuring about 22 inches long with intricate uprights, turning arm, and cutting blade—preserving its functional beauty for future generations. Hukill's mixed-media technique shines in her precise depiction of the peeler's ...