Chalkware Rabbit
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 37.7 x 28 cm (14 13/16 x 11 in.) Original IAD Object: 9 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
1943.8.8305
Art Historical Context
Behold the charming *Chalkware Rabbit*, a meticulous watercolor and graphite rendering by Betty Fuerst, around 1940. This delicate depiction captures a whimsical 9½-inch-tall folk artine made of chalkware molded plaster material popular in 19th and early 20th America as an affordable alternative to ceramics Fuerst's precise lines and soft washes on paperboard37.7 x cm) highlight the rabbit playful form, evoking everyday decorative objects that adorned homes. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, this...
About the Artist
Betty Fuerst
Betty Fuerst (1905–1984) was an American artist best known for her meticulous watercolor renderings documenting everyday objects of American folk art and craftsmanship as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. Active primarily during this period, Fuerst contributed dozens of precise illustrations that captured th...