Boston Rocker

Art Historical Context

Step into the comforting curves of the *Boston Rocker*, a rendered watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite by Genevieve Sherlock, created around 1940. This 9⅝ × 13¾-inch work captures the essence of a quintessential 19th-century American folk furniture icon: a sturdy rocking chair with a high crest rail, slatted seat, and turned spindles, often adorned with stenciled motifs or painted finishes. Sherlock's precise depiction highlights its ergonomic design, born in Boston workshops during the early 1800s, symbolizing cozy domestic life in Federal-era homes. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from 1935–1942, this artwork served a vital cultural mission. Amid the Great Depression, over 200 artists like Sherlock produced thousands of renderings to document and celebrate America's design heritage, from folk crafts to industrial objects. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, it preserves the rocker’s form and subtle decorative details that might otherwise fade from memory. Sherlock's mixed-media technique—vibrant watercolors for rich tones, colored pencils for fine textures, and graphite for sharp outlines—brings the wooden chair to vivid life on paper. This blend not only showcases artistic skill but underscores the IAD's role in elevating everyday American artifacts to objects of national pride, inviting us to appreciate the ingenuity of our ancestors' craftsmanship.