Coverlet
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.9 x 26.9 cm (14 1/8 x 10 9/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 10" wide; 12 1/2" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.676
Art Historical Context
**Coverlet** *Ruth M. Barnes, c. 1937* color, gouache, pen and ink on paperNational Gallery of Art, of American Design This rendering by Ruth M. Barnes captures intricate beauty of a traditional American coverlet, a type of woven bedcover prized for its geometric patterns and folk artistry. Created around 1937, the artwork measures 35.9 x 26.9 cm and meticulously documents an original object measuring 10 by 12½ inches. Barnes employs watercolor and gouache for luminous color, layered with precise pen and ink lines to highlight the coverlet's bold motifs—hallmarks of early American texti...
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...