Cartridge Box and Bullet

Art Historical Context

This precise rendering of a cartridge box and bullet was created around 1937 by artist Manuel G. Runyan as part of the Index of American Design, a New Deal-era initiative of the Works Progress Administration. The project employed hundreds of artists nationwide to produce detailed visual records of American decorative, folk, and applied arts objects spanning from the colonial period through the nineteenth century. These works served both as employment during the Great Depression and as a lasting archive of the nation’s material culture. Executed in watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper, the drawing captures the form, texture, and construction of the original artifact, which measured roughly seven inches long. Such mixed-media techniques were standard for Index artists, who aimed for documentary accuracy rather than personal expression, combining delicate washes with fine line work to convey every detail of historical objects. Today this sheet, held in the National Gallery of Art, offers viewers a window into both the craftsmanship of earlier American makers and the dedicated effort of 1930s artists to preserve that heritage. It reminds us how everyday items of military and domestic life became subjects of careful study, ensuring their appearance and significance would not be lost to time.

About the Artist

Manuel G. Runyan · 1855–present

Manuel G. Runyan is an artist whose dates and nationality remain undocumented in major reference sources. The historical record concerning his training, biography, and artistic affiliations is sparse, and little has been established about his life or the context in which he worked. Works attributed to Runyan suggest a practice engaged with printmaking or works on paper, though the full scope and ...