Earthen Churn
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 40.5 x 30.9 cm (15 15/16 x 12 3/16 in.) Original IAD Object: Scale: 3/4" = 1"
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.7444
Art Historical Context
**Earthen Churn** Clyde L. Cheney, between 1935 and1942, captures the humble beauty of a traditional earthenware churn—a vital tool in early American households for transforming cream into butter. This meticulous study, measuring 40.5 x 30.9 cm, the churn's simple, functional form through a precise scale of 3/4" = 1', highlighting its earthy textures and practical design rooted in colonial-era folk craftsmanship. Created as part of the *Index of American Design*, groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project initiative during the Great Depression, the artwork documents America's rich material cultur...
About the Artist
Clyde L. Cheney
Clyde L. Cheney is an artist about whom little is currently known. No dates of birth or death have been established, and his nationality and artistic training are not documented in surviving historical records. With nearly fifty works attributed to him in institutional collections, Cheney's output points to an active career. The middle initial suggests a deliberate professional identity, but corr...