Bishop Hill: Mangler
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 33.2 x 45.5 cm (13 1/16 x 17 15/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 26" long; 5" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.3916
Art Historical Context
**Bishop Hill: Mangler is a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard created around 1939 by H. Langden Brown. Measuring 33.2 x 45.5 cm, this work faithfully documents a traditional wooden "mangler"—a folk tool used for pressing and smoothing fabrics, likely originating from the Swedish utopian community of Bishop Hill,. Brown's meticulous technique combines the fluidity of watercolor for vibrant tones with graphite's precision for fine details, capturing the object's simple yet elegant form: originally 26 inches long and 5 inches wide. As part of the Index of American Desig...
About the Artist
H. Langden Brown
H. Langden Brown (1879–1960) was an American artist best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday objects, tools, vehicles, and crafts that embodied the nation's folk...