Boy's Suit
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 35.8 x 29.1 cm (14 1/8 x 11 7/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.1675
Art Historical Context
This watercolor rendering of a boy's suit, created around 1939 by Joseph Sudek, captures a historical garment with remarkable precision. Measuring just over 14 by 11 inches, the work on paperboard combines watercolor, gouache, and graphite to record fine details of fabric, construction, and style. The piece belongs to the Index of American Design, a New Deal Federal Art Project (1935–1942) that employed artists during the Great Depression to document America's decorative arts and material culture. Hundreds of illustrators produced thousands of such renderings of objects ranging from furniture...
About the Artist
Joseph Sudek
Josef Sudek (1896–1976) was a Czech photographer widely regarded as one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, known for his poetic, intimate images of Prague and his mastery of light. Born in Kolín, Bohemia, he lost his right arm during World War I and turned to photography during his convalescence, studying at the State School of Graphic Arts in Prague from 1922 to 1924. Sudek ...