Figured Material from Quilt
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 28 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.962
Art Historical Context
**Figured Material from Quilt** by Dorothy Posten, created around 1936, captures the intricate patterns of traditional American quilt fabrics in a precise watercolor, gouache, and graphite rendering on paper (28 x 35.6 cm). As part of the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design collection, this work exemplifies the project's mission to document everyday American crafts, highlighting the artistry in humble domestic objects like quilts. During the Great Depression, the Index of American Design—sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942—employed artists lik...
About the Artist
Dorothy Posten
Dorothy Posten was an American artist active during the mid-1930s, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Launched in 1935, this ambitious endeavor employed artists across the United States to document the nation's folk art, crafts, and decorative traditions through detailed render...