Bandbox (Wall Paper)
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.9 x 22.8 cm (11 3/8 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 15 1/4" long; 14" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15999
Art Historical Context
**Bandbox (Wall Paper)**, created around 1939 by artist Gilbert Sackerman, captures the charming decorative details of a traditional American bandbox—a lightweight, cylindrical container originally used for storing hats, collars, or other small items. Covered in vibrant wallpaper patterns, this artwork showcases intricate floral or geometric motifs typical of 19th-century domestic crafts, rendered with precision on paperboard measuring 28.9 x 22.8 cm. This piece is part of the *Index of American Design*, a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942 that employed artists during t...
About the Artist
Gilbert Sackerman
Gilbert Sackerman is an artist about whom very little biographical information has been preserved. His dates of birth and death are unknown, and his national or regional origin has not been firmly established through surviving records. Sackerman's presence in museum collections attests to a working artistic life, but the details of his training, his influences, and the communities in which he wor...