Coverlet (Section of)
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.7 x 26.7 cm (14 1/16 x 10 1/2 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
1943.8.610
Art Historical Context
This delicate watercolor and gouache rendering by Ruth M. Barnes captures a section of a traditional American coverlet, created around 1940. Measuring 35.7 x 26.7 cm, the artwork faithfully depicts patterns from an original textile that spanned 60 inches wide by 72 inches long—ideal for a bedcover. Barnes's precise use of watercolor and gouache brings out the intricate motifs and textures of the coverlet, highlighting the artistry in everyday American crafts. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from the 1930s and 1...
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...