Box for Nails and Pins
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 22.9 x 28.8 cm (9 x 11 5/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12744
Art Historical Context
"Box for Nails and Pins created by Wellington Blewett 1937, is a meticulous rendering of a humble yet ingeniously crafted American household object. This watercolor, graphite, and pen-and-ink drawing on paper captures the simple wooden box designed to organize nails and pins, highlighting the everyday ingenuity of American folk craftsmanship. Measuring 22.9 x 28.8 cm, it exemplifies the precision and attention to detail that defined Blewett's contribution to preserving vernacular design. The artwork is part of the Index of American Design, a groundbreaking Federal Art Project under the Works ...
About the Artist
Wellington Blewett
**Wellington Blewett (1875–1962)** was a Canadian-born American artist renowned for his meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday American folk objects. Active primarily in the late 1930s, Blewett contributed significantly to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that sought to document the nation's vernacular artistic heritage through...