Cream Pitcher

Art Historical Context

This detailed rendering of a cream pitcher, created around 1936 by Joseph Sudek, belongs to the Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art. Measuring 28.6 by 23 cm, it was executed in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard to faithfully document a modest cream pitcher originally 6¼ inches high and 3¼ inches wide. The Index of American Design formed part of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project during the Great Depression. Between 1935 and 1942, artists produced thousands of precise watercolor studies of American decorative arts, folk objects, and crafts from colonial times through the early twentieth century. The project employed skilled draftsmen while creating a lasting visual archive of the nation’s material culture at a moment when many such items risked disappearing. Sudek’s careful combination of media captures the pitcher’s form, surface, and subtle details with documentary clarity typical of the Index. These renderings celebrate the quiet beauty of everyday utilitarian objects and preserve an important record of American design heritage. Visitors today can appreciate both the original craftsmanship of the cream pitcher and the Depression-era effort to honor and safeguard the country’s artistic past.

About the Artist

Joseph Sudek

Josef Sudek (1896–1976) was a Czech photographer widely regarded as one of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, known for his poetic, intimate images of Prague and his mastery of light. Born in Kolín, Bohemia, he lost his right arm during World War I and turned to photography during his convalescence, studying at the State School of Graphic Arts in Prague from 1922 to 1924. Sudek ...