Armchair
1939
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperbaord
Dimensions
overall: 40.6 x 30.6 cm (16 x 12 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 43"high; 26"deep; 16 1/2"wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.4541
Art Historical Context
Isadore Goldberg's *Armchair* (1939) is a meticulous rendering created as part of the Index of Design, a landmark WPA Federal Art Project from the Great Depression era. watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard (406 x 30.6 cm) captures the form and details of an original armchair measuring 43 inches high, 26 inches deep, 16½ inches wide. Goldberg's precise technique highlights the chair's craftsmanship, blending artistic skill with documentary accuracy to preserve everyday American design. The Index of American Design, active from 1935 to 1942, commissioned over 15,000 such rende...
About the Artist
Isadore Goldberg
Isadore Goldberg (b. 1904), an American artist, gained recognition through his contributions to the Index of American Design, a New Deal-era initiative under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Active primarily in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Goldberg produced meticulous renderings of everyday American objects, capturing the essence of folk craftsmanship during a time when ...