Combination Rush/Candle Holder
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.2 x 23.1 cm (11 1/8 x 9 1/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12155
Art Historical Context
**Combination Rush/Candle Holder** Leslie Macklem (c. 1939) captures the humble ingenuity of early American folk craft in a delicate watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard. This28.2 x 23.1 cm work depicts a practical "combination rush/candle holder a device blending rushlight holders—simple wicks made from oil-soaked rushes for everyday colonial lighting—with traditional candlesticks. Such objects highlight the resourcefulness of pre-industrial households, where functionality met modest beauty in everyday tools. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Works Progress ...