Dress
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 29.2 x 22.9 cm (11 1/2 x 9 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.2823
Art Historical Context
**Dress by Mina Lowry (1935/1942)** This delicate watercolor and graphite rendering of a dress by Mina Lowry captures the elegance of American fashion design during the 1930s and early 1940s. Created part of the *Index of American Design*—a landmark Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA)—the artwork documents everyday objects and decorative arts that defined U.S. cultural heritage amid the Great Depression. Lowry piece, measuring 29.2 x 22.9 cm, exemplifies the project's mission to preserve and celebrate American craftsmanship through precise, museum-quality illustr...
About the Artist
Mina Lowry
Mina Lowry (1894–1942), an American artist born in Canada, emerged as a prominent portrait painter whose career bridged traditional portraiture and the documentation of American folk art. Immigrating to Buffalo, New York, with her family around 1901, she honed her skills early on, winning first prize for modeling at the Albright Art School and studying under the esteemed Florence J. Bach. Lowry fu...