Description of a Girl's Dress
c. 1937
Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 29.2 x 22.6 cm (11 1/2 x 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9488
Art Historical Context
This delicate graphite drawing by Nancy Crimi, created around 1937, belongs to the Index of American Design, a New Deal initiative that employed artists to document the rich heritage of American decorative arts and everyday objects. Measuring just under 12 by 9 inches, the work captures the details of a girl’s dress with careful precision, preserving the cut, fabric patterns, and construction techniques of what was likely a nineteenth-century garment. Such renderings served as an important visual archive during the Great Depression, ensuring that regional styles and craftsmanship would not be ...
About the Artist
Nancy Crimi
Nancy Crimi (1916–unknown) was an American artist born in Italy and raised as a U.S. citizen, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Active primarily in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Crimi documented everyday American objects, crafts, and costumes through detailed illustrations, capturing t...