Chest
1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 26.7 x 35.7 cm (10 1/2 x 14 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 41 1/2"long; 21"wide; 19 1/4"deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.7534
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 Admin...
About the Artist
Edward Jewett
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...