Cat Saving Bank

Art Historical Context

**Cat Saving Bank** by Mina Lowry (c. 1940) captures the whimsical charm of an American folk art object: a still bank shaped like a seated cat, designed for children to save coins. These playful ceramic banks, popular in the late 19 and early 20th centuries, reflect everyday American ingenuity and the cultural emphasis on thrift during economic ups and downs. Lowry's rendering preserves this humble yet endearing piece of material culture, highlighting how ordinary household items embodied creativity and practicality. Created as part of the **Index of American Design** (1935–1942), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression, the artwork documents the nation's decorative arts heritage. Hundreds of artists like Lowry produced meticulous studies to safeguard regional crafts from obscurity, fostering national pride in folk traditions amid hardship. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it exemplifies this vital effort to catalog America's artistic legacy. Lowry employed **watercolor and graphite on paperboard**, blending vibrant hues for the cat's glossy fur and precise pencil lines for intricate details like whiskers and coin slot. At 30.5 x 22.9 cm, this intimate scale invites close viewing, underscoring the Index's focus on accuracy over embellishment. A delightful window into bygone playthings, it reminds us how art can immortalize the simple joys of daily life.

About the Artist

Mina Lowry · 1894–1942

Mina Lowry (1894–1942), an American artist born in Canada, emerged as a prominent portrait painter whose career bridged traditional portraiture and the documentation of American folk art. Immigrating to Buffalo, New York, with her family around 1901, she honed her skills early on, winning first prize for modeling at the Albright Art School and studying under the esteemed Florence J. Bach. Lowry fu...