Bishop Hill: Auger
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 47.6 x 32.8 cm (18 3/4 x 12 15/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 24" long; 15 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
1943.8.3909
Art Historical Context
**Bishop Hill: Auger** Michael Chomyk (. 1938) is a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering on paper, measuring 47.6 x 32.8 cm, preserved in the National Gallery of's Index of American Design collection. precise depiction showcases a traditional wooden auger—a handheld tool for boring holes in wood Bishop Hill, Illinois, a historic Swedish utopian community founded in the1840s by immigrants seeking religious and communal ideals. Chomyk's work immortalizes this humble folk implement, revealing the ingenuity of 19th-century craftsmanship amid everyday American life. Created as part of the...