Armchair

Art Historical Context

Edna C. Rex's *Armchair* (c. 1937) captures the charm of American decorative arts through a meticulous rendering of a classic armchair, likely inspired by early 19th-century furniture traditions. Created as part of the Index of American DesignIAD), a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project initiative, this watercolor, gouache, colored, and graphite work on paperboard (30.4 x 24.2 cm) showcases's skill in translating three-dimensional objects into vivid, two-dimensional studies. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it exemplifies the IAD's mission to document and celebrate everyday American craftsmanship during the Great Depression. The IAD, active from 1935 to 1942, employed artists across the U.S. to produce over 15,000 renderings of folk art, furniture, and design objects, preserving cultural heritage at risk of being lost. Rex, a talented illustrator from the era, contributed to this effort by highlighting the armchair's graceful lines, wood grains, and upholstery details—elements that reflect regional woodworking techniques and colonial influences. This mixed-media approach allowed for luminous colors and precise shading, blending artistic expression with documentary accuracy. For visitors, *Armchair* offers a window into America's design legacy, reminding us how ordinary objects embody history and ingenuity.

About the Artist

Edna C. Rex

Edna Crenshaw Rex was an American artist active in the late 1930s and around 1940, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, the federally funded visual survey of American decorative arts produced under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Her full name — Edna Crenshaw Rex — appears in the National Gallery of Art's records, which holds the Ind...