Figurehead
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 44.3 x 34.3 cm (17 7/16 x 13 1/2 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9895
Art Historical Context
Betty Fuerst's *Figurehead* (c. 1936) captures the spirited essence of American maritime folk art through a meticulous rendering of a carved ship figurehead. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project (1935–1942)—this work documents a quintessential symbol of 19th-century American craftsmanship. Figureheads like this adorned vessel prows, embodying nautical lore, protection, and regional pride, often carved from wood by skilled shipwrights in ports from New England to the Gulf Coast. Fuerst employed watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on pape...
About the Artist
Betty Fuerst
Betty Fuerst (1905–1984) was an American artist best known for her meticulous watercolor renderings documenting everyday objects of American folk art and craftsmanship as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. Active primarily during this period, Fuerst contributed dozens of precise illustrations that captured th...