Decoy

Art Historical Context

**Decoy** by Roberta Spicer, created around 1938, is a meticulous watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard, measuring 28 x 36.9 cm. This intimate-scale work captures the essence of an American folk art object—a hunting decoy— Spicer's skilled hand, blending soft watercolor washes for texture and precise graphite lines for detail. As part of the National Gallery of's collection, it exemplifies the artist's ability to document everyday designs with artistic flair. Produced under the Index of American Design (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) initiative during the Great Depression, the piece reflects a national effort to record and celebrate America's rich material culture. From 1935 to 1942, over 200 artists like Spicer created more than 15,000 renderings of folk art, crafts, and decorative objects at risk of being lost to time or modernization. "Decoy" highlights regional traditions, such as those in waterfowling communities, preserving their cultural and functional significance. Spicer's technique—combining opaque watercolors for form and graphite for intricate patterns—elevates utilitarian objects into icons of American ingenuity. Today, it invites visitors to appreciate how everyday tools embodied craftsmanship and survival, bridging art history with the nation's folk heritage.

About the Artist

Roberta Spicer · 1855–present

Roberta Spicer was an American artist active around 1935, best known for her contributions to the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project initiative launched during the Great Depression. This ambitious New Deal program commissioned artists across the United States to create precise watercolor renderings of historical American folk art, crafts, and everyd...