Dinner Bell
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, and heightening on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.7 x 26.7 cm (14 1/16 x 10 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: 22"high; 8"long; 13"diam. x 8"yoke diam.
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.6696
Art Historical Context
**Dinner Bell**, a meticulously rendered watercolor by William Kieckhofel from 1940, captures the humble yet evocative form of a traditional American dinner bell. Measuring 35.7 x 26.7 cm, this work depicts an original object standing 22 inches high with a 13-inch diameter bell and 8-inch yoke, likely used on farms or in rural communities to summon families for meals. Kieckhofel's precise drawing highlights the bell's sturdy metal construction and functional design, evoking the rhythms of everyday American life in the early 20th century. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), ...
About the Artist
William Kieckhofel
William Kieckhofel was an American artist active in the 1930s and early 1940s, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, the ambitious New Deal-era documentation project administered under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. Working in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, Kieckhofel produced meticulous renderings of American decorativ...