Coverlet: Boston Town
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 49.3 x 35.6 cm (19 7/16 x 14 in.) Original IAD Object: 84" long; 82" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.747
Art Historical Context
"Coverlet: Boston Town is a vibrant watercolor, gouache, and graphite by Byron Dingman, around 1939. This meticulous depiction captures the intricate patterns of a traditional American folk coverlet, measuring an original 84 by 82 inches, reduced here to a detailed 19 7/16 by 14-inch study on paper. Dingman's work showcases the geometric motifs and bold colors typical of 19th-century woven bedcovers, evoking the artistry of early American homemakers and weavers. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a groundbreaking Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from the Great Depressio...
About the Artist
Byron Dingman
Byron Dingman (1886–1951) was an American artist whose career, though sparsely documented in personal terms, gained significance through his contributions to the Index of American Design, a New Deal-era Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Active primarily in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Dingman produced meticulous renderings of everyday American folk art objects, ...