Chalkware Deer
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 38.4 x 30.5 cm (15 1/8 x 12 in.) Original IAD Object: 9" high; 8 5/8" long; 3 3/4" deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.17083
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Chalkware Deer*, a captivating 1938 watercolor rendering by artist Mina Lowry, part of the esteemed Index of American Design (IAD). This delicate work on paperboard—measuring 38.4 x 30.5 cm—meticulously captures a whimsical folk art sculpture: a 9-inch-high deer crafted from chalkware, a molded plaster material popular in 19th- and early 20th-century America. Lowry's precise use of watercolor, graphite, pen and ink blends soft color washes with fine lines, evoking the deer's glossy, painted surface and lifelike stance. Created during the Great Depression as part of the Federal Art...
About the Artist
Mina Lowry
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...