Chair-Round-A-Bout

Art Historical Context

**Chair-Round-A-Bout** is a delightful graphite drawing on paperboard by J. Howard Iams, created in 1937. Measuring 35.5 x 27.9 cm (14 x 11 in.), this precise rendering captures an original chair standing 18 inches high, 18 inches wide, and 16 inches deep—a compact, whimsically named design evoking playful motion, perhaps inspired by carousel-like forms or children's furniture from early American craftsmanship. As part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from the Great Depression era (1935–1942), Iams's work exemplifies the program's mission to document and celebrate everyday American folk art and decorative objects. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department, these meticulous graphite studies preserved cultural artifacts through realistic, detailed techniques, blending artistic skill with historical preservation. The IAD's 15,000+ renderings highlighted regional ingenuity, making designs like this round chair accessible symbols of American creativity. This piece invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary objects embody cultural whimsy and resilience, bridging art history with the nation's design heritage.

About the Artist

J. Howard Iams

John Howard Iams (1897–1964) was an American artist and self-described artist-historian whose passion for the regional past of southwestern Pennsylvania shaped one of the most distinctive careers to emerge from the Federal Art Project era. Born in Amwell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Iams grew up in the North Ten Mile region near the border of Greene County, a landscape steeped in col...