Cake Mold

Art Historical Context

Behold the intricate *Cake Mold*, a 1938 watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite rendering by artist Charles Moss, capturing a humble yet essential piece of American kitchenware. Measuring 29.8 x 39.7 cm overall, this detailed depiction showcases the mold's elegant form—3 3/8 inches high, 8 1/2 inches in diameter, and 3 1/8 inches deep—likely crafted for baking ring-shaped cakes, evoking the warmth of Depression-era home baking traditions. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, Moss's work preserves everyday American folk objects through precise, vibrant mixed-media techniques. Watercolor provides luminous color, while colored pencil and graphite add fine lines and textures, highlighting the mold's subtle curves and practical beauty. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department, it exemplifies the IAD's mission to document and celebrate vernacular design amid economic hardship. This artwork bridges art and utility, reminding us of the cultural role such molds played in family rituals and resourcefulness. Moss's skilled draftsmanship invites visitors to appreciate the artistry in ordinary life, a testament to American ingenuity.

About the Artist

Charles Moss · 1855–present

Charles Moss is an artist whose work appears in museum collections in notable quantity, attesting to a sustained and recognized practice even though the biographical details — his dates, nationality, and the particular tradition in which he was trained — have not been thoroughly recorded in the art-historical literature currently available. The name Charles Moss is common enough to pose identifica...