Dressing Mirror (cast iron)
1939
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 50.8 x 36.2 cm (20 x 14 1/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 3/4 of actual size
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5366
Art Historical Context
Step into the inventive world of American industrial design with Paul Ward's *Dressing Mirror (cast iron)*, a meticulously rendered watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite drawing on paperboard from 1939. Measuring 20 x 14¼ inches, this work captures a functional cast iron mirror at three-quarters of its actual size, highlighting the object's elegant curves, sturdy frame, and reflective utility—hallmarks of 19th-century American craftsmanship when cast iron blended affordability with ornate decoration for everyday homes. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark Feder...
About the Artist
Paul Ward
Paul Ward was an American artist who contributed to the Index of American Design during the New Deal era, creating detailed watercolor renderings of American decorative objects that are now held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. His documented works include Lamp and Camphene Lamp, both rendered in watercolor and graphite on paperboard and created between 1935 and...