Carved Toy Horse
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 23 x 28.9 cm (9 1/16 x 11 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 5 3/4" high; 5 1/4" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15597
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Carved Toy Horse*, a delightful rendering by artist Hester Duany, created between 1935 and 1942. This watercolor and graphite work on paperboard (23 x 28.9 cm) meticulously captures a charming folk art toy—originally a petite wooden sculpture standing 5 3/4 inches high and 5 1/4 inches long. Duany's precise strokes bring to life the horse's simple, hand-carved form, evoking the playful whimsy of early 20th-century American craftsmanship. As part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this piece exemplifies a Depression...
About the Artist
Hester Duany
Hester Duany (1891–1964) was an American artist best known for her meticulous renderings of traditional American folk art objects as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. Working out of the New York City Project, Duany contributed dozens of watercolor and graphite drawings on paperboard that captured the intrica...