Cherry Candlestick
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 36.7 x 29.9 cm (14 7/16 x 11 3/4 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16548
Art Historical Context
**Cherry Candlestick** by Mina Lowry, created around 1937, is a meticulous rendering of an exquisite American candlestick, captured in watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper (36.7 x 29.9 cm). This delicate work belongs to the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark WPA Federal Art Project from the Great Depression era (1935–1942). Lowry, one of hundreds of skilled artists employed nationwide, contributed to this ambitious effort to document and celebrate the nation's folk, craft, and decorative arts through precise, colorful illustrations. The IAD's renderings, like this one, serve...
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...