Baby's Cap
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 46.6 x 35.7 cm (18 3/8 x 14 1/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.1795
Art Historical Context
Lillian Causey's *Baby's Cap* (c. 1939) is a delicate watercolor and graphite rendering that captures the intricate charm of an everyday American folk object. Part of the renowned Index of American Design, this work meticulously documents a traditional baby's cap, highlighting its fine needlework, soft folds, and period details. Measuring 46.6 x 35.7 cm, the drawing preserves a slice of domestic craftsmanship likely from the 19th or early 20th century, evoking the tender world of infancy and family life. Created under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during t...
About the Artist
Lillian Causey
Lillian Causey (1889–1949) was an American artist best known for her meticulous watercolor and graphite renderings of everyday American folk objects, created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Active primarily between 1935 and 1942, Causey contributed hundreds of detailed illustrations to this ambitious New Deal initi...