Chest

Art Historical Context

Behold the intricate rendering of a classic American chest, captured in 1937 by artist Edward Jewett as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This detailed watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite drawing paper—measuring 26.7 x 35. cm—meticulously documents an original chest of substantial proportions: 41½ inches long, 21 inches, and 19¼ deep. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, it exemplifies the IAD's mission to preserve America's rich heritage of decorative arts. Created during the Great Depression under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the IAD employed artists like Jewett to produce over 15,000 vibrant, accurate renderings of everyday objects, from furniture to folk crafts. This chest drawing highlights the functional beauty of American craftsmanship, likely rooted in colonial or early federal traditions, where sturdy woodwork blended utility with subtle ornamentation. Jewett's masterful use of mixed media brings the chest's form, grain, and hardware to life with precision and color, making the ephemeral tangible for future generations. Such works not only celebrate regional ingenuity but also underscore the cultural value of design in shaping American identity—perfect for pondering how ordinary objects tell extraordinary stories.

About the Artist

Edward Jewett · 1868–1955

Edward Taylor Jewett (1868–1955) was an American artist whose career bridged traditional academic painting and the documentation of vernacular American crafts. Born on March 28, 1868, in New York, Jewett pursued formal training in the late nineteenth century, studying at the Académie Julian in Paris and later under the portraitist J. Carroll Beckwith in New York City. This rigorous education equip...