Bucket
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 35.9 x 26.7 cm (14 1/8 x 10 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: 10" high; 6 1/2" in diameter
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16591
Art Historical Context
Leslie Macklem's *Bucket* (c. 1939) is a captivating watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite rendering on paperboard, measuring 35.9 x 26.7 cm. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, this work meticulously documents a humble yet iconic American folk object: a bucket originally 10 inches high and6½ inches in diameter. TheAD commissioned artists across the U.S. to over 15,000 precise illustrations of everyday design items—from tools to textiles—preserving the nation's cultural heritage during the Great Depression. Macklem's tec...