Camphene Lamp
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and goauche on paper
Dimensions
overall: 28.7 x 22.8 cm (11 5/16 x 9 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12369
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of's exploration of American design! *Camphene Lamp*, rendered by artist John Tarantino between 1935 and 1942, is a meticulous watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper, measuring a compact 28.7 x 22.8 cm. This work captures the elegant form of a camphene lamp—an early 19th-century device fueled by a volatile mix of turpentine and alcohol, the gap between candles and modern kerosene lamps in American households. Created as part of the Index American Design, a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project during the Great Depression, Tarantino's piece exemplifies the ...
About the Artist
John Tarantino
John Tarantino was an American artist active from around 1935 to 1953, best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create precise renderings of everyday folk art objects, preserving the nation's vernacular design heritage a...