Cabinet
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, graphite and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 34.9 x 24.4 cm (13 3/4 x 9 5/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 3'5 1/2"wide, 22 1/4"deep, 7'7" high overall. See data sheet for dets.
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.4042
Art Historical Context
Harry Mann Waddell's *Cabinet* (c. 1940) is a meticulously rendered depiction of an impressive American furniture piece, captured in watercolor, colored pencil, graphite pen and ink on paper. Measuring 34.9 x 24.4 cm, this work showcases the cabinet's grand scale—originally 3'5½" wide, 22¼" deep, and a towering 7'7" high—highlighting its stature as a functional yet ornate object likely from early American craftsmanship. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a WPA-era Federal Art Project during the Great Depression, Waddell's drawing preserves the aesthetic and cultural herita...
About the Artist
Harry Mann Waddell
Harry Mann Waddell (1876–1956) was an American artist born on June 22, 1876, in Ohio, whose career flourished in California after he settled in Los Angeles by 1936. There he established a studio, working as a freelance draftsman while creating fine art in his spare time. His early life and formal training remain not well documented, but by the late 1930s, Waddell had become a key contributor to th...