Chopping Knife
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 22.9 x 29.2 cm (9 x 11 1/2 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9390
Art Historical Context
**Chopping Knife** by Hester Duany, created between 1935 and 1942, captures the humble beauty of an everyday American tool through delicate watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper. Measuring just 22.9 x 29.2 cm, this intimate rendering belongs to the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design collection, where Duany's precise hand transforms a utilitarian chopping knife into a study of form, texture, and craftsmanship. As part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, the Index of American Design employed artists like Duan...
About the Artist
Hester Duany
Hester Duany (1891–1964) was an American artist best known for her meticulous renderings of traditional American folk art objects as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. Working out of the New York City Project, Duany contributed dozens of watercolor and graphite drawings on paperboard that captured the intrica...