Doll - "Elissa"
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, gouache, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 42.7 x 29.4 cm (16 13/16 x 11 9/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 12 1/2" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16648
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite rendering of *Doll - "Elissa"*, circa 1938 by artist Rex F. Bush as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This detailed watercolor, gouache, graphite, and-and-ink work on paperboard (42.7 x 29.4 cm) captures a 12½-inch-high folk doll, preserving its delicate features and craftsmanship for posterity. Bush's meticulous depiction highlights the doll's whimsical form, evoking the handmade artistry of American vernacular objects from earlier eras. The IAD, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (1935–1942), commissioned artists during the Great Dep...
About the Artist
Rex F. Bush
Rex F. Bush (c. 1915–2002) was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression era. Active primarily from 1935 to 1942, Bush produced watercolor, gouache, graphite, and pen-and-ink renderings on paperboard that documented everyday American folk ...