Bell, from Presidential Yacht "Sylph"

Art Historical Context

Behold the intricate watercolor rendering *Bell, from Presidential Yacht "Sylph"* by Edith Towner, created in 1940 as part of the Index of American Design. This delicate work on paper—measuring 35.7 x 26.6 cm—captures the gleaming brass bell, originally about 12 inches in diameter, from a storied vessel that served U.S. presidents in the early 20th century. Towner's precise use of watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite brings out the bell's ornate engravings and polished surfaces, evoking the nautical elegance of presidential maritime history. As a contribution to the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from the 1930s and 1940s, this piece exemplifies efforts to document and celebrate everyday American craftsmanship amid the Great Depression. Artists like Towner meticulously reproduced folk and functional objects, preserving cultural heritage through faithful, detailed illustrations rather than artistic interpretation. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department, it highlights the fusion of industrial design and patriotic symbolism. Imagine the bell tolling across shimmering waters during presidential voyages—a tangible link to America's past. Towner's technique not only showcases the object's form but invites us to appreciate the skilled hands that forged it, bridging art, history, and national identity.

About the Artist

Edith Towner · 1855–present

Edith Towner was an American artist active around 1940, whose name is closely associated with the Index of American Design, the federally funded visual survey of American decorative arts and material culture produced under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Working in watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, and pen and ink on paper, Towner brought skilled draftsmanship and an e...