Buckskin Purse

Art Historical Context

Created around 1937 by Benjamin Bryant, this watercolor rendering of askin purse captures an everyday object with exceptional precision. Measuring roughly 14 by 11 inches, the work employs watercolor, graphite, andening on paper to convey the material’s subtle folds, seams, and surface texture. It belongs to the National Gallery of Art’s Index of American Design, a vast visual archive of American decorative arts. The Index was a New Deal project of the Works Progress Administration that ran from 1935 to 1942. Artists were hired to produce scientifically accurate watercolor studies of folk and craft objects so that the nation’s material heritage would be preserved even if the original pieces were lost or deteriorated. Bryant’s contribution exemplifies the project’s documentary ideal: an image that functions both as art and as a reliable historical record. By combining graphite underdrawing with translucent watercolor washes and touches of white heightening, Bryant suggested the softness and durability of buckskin, a hide long valued in American life for pouches, garments, and utilitarian goods. These renderings continue to serve scholars and visitors alike, offering a vivid window onto the craftsmanship of ordinary objects that once shaped daily experience.