Eight Leg Table with Drawer
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, graphite,and heightening on paper
Dimensions
overall: 23.4 x 30.5 cm (9 3/16 x 12 in.) Original IAD Object: 28"high. See data sheet for details.
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5647
Art Historical Context
**Eight Leg Table with Drawer**, rendered by Ernest A. Towers, Jr. around 1936, captures the charm of an unusual American folk furniture piece through meticulous watercolor, colored pencil, and ink, graphite, heightening on paper (23.4 x 30.5 cm). This drawing depicts a table standing 28 inches high, featuring distinctive eight-legged base and integrated drawer—a playful yet functional design likely rooted in early American craftsmanship, evoking the ingenuity of vernacular woodworkers. Created as part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from...
About the Artist
Ernest A. Towers, Jr.
Ernest A. Towers, Jr. was an American artist active during the late 1930s and early 1940s, best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create watercolor renderings of everyday American folk art, crafts, and decorative objec...