Chalkware Dog
c. 1941
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 38.2 x 27.9 cm (15 1/16 x 11 in.) Original IAD Object: 6 1/2" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8319
Art Historical Context
**Chalkware Dog** *by Sadie Berman, c.1941* Step into the charming world of American folk art with Sadie Berman's *Chalkware Dog*, meticulous watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard created for the Index of American Design (IAD). This 15 x 11-inch depiction captures a diminutive 6½-inch-high chalkware figurine—a molded plaster sculpture painted in vibrant hues, popular among 19th-century households as an affordable, whimsical alternative to ceramics. Berman's precise technique highlights the dog's alert expression, glossy fur, and folkloric details, evoking the playful artistry of...
About the Artist
Sadie Berman
Sadie Berman (1897–1994) was an American artist best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration during the late 1930s and early 1940s. This ambitious endeavor commissioned artists across the United States to create precise watercolor renderings of everyday folk art objects, preserving the nation's...