Box with Lid

Art Historical Context

**Box with Lid** by Max Soltmann created around 1936, captures the charm of American craftsmanship in oil on paperboard, measuring 30.6 x 37.9 cm. This intimate work depicts a lidded box, rendered with meticulous detail that highlights its form, texture, and subtle decorative elements—hallmarks of everyday American design objects from earlier eras. As part of the *Index of American Design*, Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, Soltmann's painting served a vital cultural mission. Launched in 1935, the Index commissioned artists across the U.S. to document thousands of folk art, decorative arts, and utilitarian objects, preserving a visual record of the nation's artistic heritage before it faded into obscurity. Soltmann, a skilled renderer, contributed to this effort by translating three-dimensional artifacts into vivid, accurate two-dimensional studies, often emphasizing regional styles and historical techniques. This piece exemplifies the Index's blend of artistry and scholarship, showcasing oil on paperboard's rich color depth to evoke the box's materiality—perhaps wood grain or painted motifs. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary objects embody America's creative spirit, bridging past craftsmanship with New Deal-era optimism.