Dressing Mirror (cast iron)

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 Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, Ward's piece exemplifies a national effort to document and celebrate the nation's artistic heritage. From 1935 to 1942, over 18,000 such renderings preserved folk, decorative, and industrial arts threatened by modernity, employing artists like Ward to produce vivid, accurate records now housed at the National Gallery of Art. Ward's masterful use of layered watercolor washes for metallic sheen, precise colored pencil for details, and graphite for sharp outlines brings the mirror's tactile quality to life, bridging art and artifact. This IAD gem reminds us how everyday objects embody cultural ingenuity, inviting reflection on America's design legacy.

About the Artist

Paul Ward · 1855–present

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...