Doll
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 28.8 x 22.9 cm (11 5/16 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 19 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
1943.8.15552
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Great Depression, artist Raoul Du Bois captured the whimsical charm of an American folk doll in this vibrant watercolor, graphite, and gouache rendering, created around 1936. Titled *Doll*, the work measures 28.8 x 22.9 cm and depicts an original 19½-inch-high object, meticulously documented as part of the Index of American Design (IAD)—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942. This initiative employed hundreds of artists to celebrate America's everyday design heritage, from quilts to whirligigs, preserving cultural treasures through precise, colorful illu...