Day Bed
1941
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 44.4 x 55.9 cm (17 1/2 x 22 in.) Original IAD Object: 61"long; 21"wide; back posts 38"high; bed 16 1/2"high off of floor.
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5327
Art Historical Context
Harry Eisman's *Day Bed* (1941) is a captivating watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite rendering on paperboard, measuring 44.4 x 55.9 cm. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression, this artwork meticulously documents an elegant American furniture piece. The original day bed it depicts—61 inches long, 21 inches wide, with back posts 38 inches high and the bed surface 16½ inches off the floor—exemplifies functional yet graceful vernacular design, likely from the 18th or 19th century. The IAD, active from 1...
About the Artist
Harry Eisman
Harry Eisman is an artist about whom the historical record remains sparse, and reliable details regarding his dates, nationality, and training have not been firmly established in available scholarship. The works associated with his name suggest engagement with the graphic arts or printmaking traditions, though the full scope of his career and artistic interests is difficult to characterize without...