Coverlet
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.7 x 26.8 cm (14 1/16 x 10 9/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 60" wide; 72" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.608
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate rendering of a *Coverlet* by Ruth M. Barnes, created 1940 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This watercolor graphite, and pen-and-ink depiction on paper (35.7 x 26.8 cm) meticulously captures the intricate patterns of a traditional American bedcover, originally measuring 60 inches wide by 72 inches long., one of many skilled artists in the IAD program, employed precise line work and subtle color washes to document folk art objects at risk of fading into obscurity. Sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, the IAD was a m...
About the Artist
Ruth M. Barnes
Ruth M. Barnes (1880–1954) was an American artist best known for her meticulous watercolor renderings of traditional American folk textiles as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Active during the Great Depression era from roughly 1935 to 1942, Barnes contributed dozens of detailed studies to this ambitious initiative, which em...