Candle Stand

Art Historical Context

**Candle Stand**, rendered by artist Paul Ward around 1938, captures the charm of an everyday American folk object through a meticulous mixed-media technique. Using watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, and and ink on paperboard50.9 x 37.9 cm), Ward's illustration depicts a graceful candle stand standing 36 inches tall with an 8 x 9½-inch base. This detailed rendering preserves the stand's form, highlighting its practical yet decorative design rooted in early American craftsmanship. Created as part of the *Index of American Design*—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from the 1930s—Ward's work reflects Depression-era efforts to document and celebrate the nation's cultural heritage. Artists like Ward produced thousands of such vibrant, accurate illustrations of folk art, tools, and decorative objects, ensuring their legacy amid economic hardship. The candle stand exemplifies vernacular design, likely from the 18th or 19th century, blending functionality with subtle elegance in woodwork. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, this piece showcases the IAD's artistic innovation: precise line work and luminous color that breathe life into historical artifacts. It invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary items embody America's inventive spirit and handmade traditions.

About the Artist

Paul Ward · 1855–present

Paul Ward was an American artist who contributed to the Index of American Design during the New Deal era, creating detailed watercolor renderings of American decorative objects that are now held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. His documented works include Lamp and Camphene Lamp, both rendered in watercolor and graphite on paperboard and created between 1935 and...