Child's Rocking Horse
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 35.5 x 45.8 cm (14 x 18 1/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15623
Art Historical Context
Behold the charming *Child's Rocking Horse by Ernest A. Towers, Jr., created around 1939 as part of the Index of American Design. This rendering, measuring 35.5 x 45.8 cm, the whimsical form of a classic American toy using watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department, it exemplifies the project's mission to document everyday objects that reflect the nation's cultural heritage. The Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, employed artists like Towers to produ...
About the Artist
Ernest A. Towers, Jr.
Ernest A. Towers, Jr. was an American artist active during the late 1930s and early 1940s, best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create watercolor renderings of everyday American folk art, crafts, and decorative objec...