Bootjack

Art Historical Context

**Bootjack** *Gordon Saltar, c. 1937* Watercolor, graphite, and and ink on paper,27.9 x 38.1 cm (11 x 15 in.) of American Design, National of Art Step into the resourceful world of American folk craft with Gordon Saltar's *Bootjack*, a meticulously depiction of a humble yet ingenious tool from the 1930s. Created part of the Index of American Design (IAD)—a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration—this watercolor, graphite, and pen-and-ink study captures a wooden bootjack measuring 11 inches long and 4 inches wide. These practical devices, with their notched jaws for pulling off tall riding boots, were everyday essentials on farms and ranches, embodying Yankee ingenuity and self-reliance. Saltar's precise mixed-media technique highlights the bootjack's simple form and craftsmanship, using vibrant watercolors for wood grain textures, fine graphite lines for contours, and ink for sharp details. The IAD, active from 1935 to 1942 amid the Great Depression, commissioned artists like Saltar to document vanishing American artifacts, preserving cultural heritage through over 18,000 such renderings. This piece celebrates utilitarian design, reminding us how ordinary objects reflect the nation's pioneering spirit. Displayed in the National Gallery of Art, *Bootjack* invites visitors to appreciate the beauty in functionality—a testament to America's handmade legacy.