Doll
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 38.3 x 55.5 cm (15 1/16 x 21 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
1943.8.15579
Art Historical Context
**Doll** by Frances Lichten (c. 1936) is a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard, measuring 38.3 x 55.5 cm. Created as part of the Index of American Design, this meticulously captures the form and details of a traditional American doll, showcasing Lichten's skill in translating three-dimensional folk objects into vivid, two-dimensional art. The combination of watercolor's soft, luminous tones and graphite's precise lines allows for a lifelike depiction that highlights textures, colors, and craftsmanship, making the doll feel almost tangible. The Index of American Design,...
About the Artist
Frances Lichten
Frances Lichten was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, in 1889. At fourteen she enrolled in the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, where she studied design and interior decoration, while also pursuing landscape painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After graduating she worked as a commercial artist for nearly a decade, building the technical foundation that would later serve...