Bootjack
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.7 x 35.5 cm (8 15/16 x 14 in.) Original IAD Object: 24" long; 9" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.2028
Art Historical Context
**Bootjack**, created around 1938 by artist Walter. Capuozzo, captures the humble yet ingenious form of a traditional American bootjack—a wooden tool designed to grip a boot heel and ease removal, essential for frontier farmers and workers. Rendered in watercolor and graphite paperboard (22.7 x 35.5 cm), this precise rendering highlights the object's sturdy, ergonomic shape: 24 inches long and 9 inches wide,oking everyday practicality in early American life. As part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, ...