Church Bell

Art Historical Context

Edith Towner's *Church Bell* (1939) is a meticulous watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, measuring 35.7 x 24.4 cm. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), this work exemplifies the era's effort to document and celebrate everyday American craftsmanship during the Great Depression. Towner, one of many skilled artists in the IAD, captured the bell's form with precision, blending soft watercolor washes for texture and depth with the fine lines of colored pencil and graphite for intricate details. The IAD, active from 1935 to 1942, produced over 18,000 watercolor plates of American folk art, decorative objects, and design motifs, preserving cultural heritage for future generations. *Church Bell* highlights vernacular metalwork, evoking the communal role of church bells in early American life—summoning worshippers, marking time, and signaling community events. Towner's mixed-media technique allowed for realistic shading and subtle color variations, making the functional object appear almost sculptural. Today, housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this piece invites visitors to appreciate the artistry in ordinary artifacts, bridging historical craft with modern appreciation of American identity.

About the Artist

Edith Towner · 1855–present

Edith Towner was an American artist active around 1940, whose name is closely associated with the Index of American Design, the federally funded visual survey of American decorative arts and material culture produced under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Working in watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, and pen and ink on paper, Towner brought skilled draftsmanship and an e...