Damask Coverlet
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 51.1 x 38.2 cm (20 1/8 x 15 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 99" square
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.3291
Art Historical Context
Katherine Hastings's *Damask Coverlet*c. 1938) is a meticulous rendering of a traditional American textile, capturing the intricate woven patterns of a 99-square damask bedcover. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a Works Progress Administration (WPA project during the Great Depression—this watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paperboard (51.1 x 38.2 cm) preserves the elegance of everyday American folk art for posterity. The Index of American Design, from 1935 to 1942, employed artists across the U.S. to document regional decorative objects through precise, colorful illustrations...
About the Artist
Katherine Hastings
Katherine Hastings was an American artist active during the 1930s, best known for her contributions to the Index of American Design, a New Deal-era project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create precise watercolor renderings of everyday folk and decorative objects, preserving a visual record of the nation's m...