Checker Table

Art Historical Context

**Checker Table** by Nicholas Gorid, created in 1936, is a delicate rendering in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, measuring 29.2 x 23 cm. This intimate-scale work captures the charm of an everyday American object—a checker table—through precise lines and vibrant hues, showcasing Gorid's skill in blending media to evoke texture and depth. The graphite underdrawing provides a meticulous foundation, while watercolors and colored pencils add lifelike color and subtle shading, typical of detailed studies from the era. As part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, this artwork holds significant historical value. Launched in 1935, the IAD commissioned artists to document America's folk art, crafts, and design heritage through over 18,000 watercolor plates, preserving cultural artifacts amid economic hardship. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, Gorid's depiction highlights the humble ingenuity of vernacular furniture, celebrating everyday leisure like checker games as emblems of American life. This piece invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary objects reflect national identity, bridging art, history, and craftsmanship in a single, vivid sheet.

About the Artist

Nicholas Gorid · 1855–present

Nicholas Gorid (b. 1896) was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project initiative launched in the 1930s to document the nation's rich heritage of decorative arts and folk objects. Active primarily from the mid-1930s through the early 1950s, Gorid produced highly detailed renderings of an...