Figurehead

Art Historical Context

**Figurehead** by Jerome Hoxie, created in 1938, is a captivating entry from the *Index of American Design*, monumental Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA Launched during the Great Depression, this initiative employed artists to meticulously document America's folk art, crafts, and decorative traditions through precise, colorful renderings. Hoxie's work preserves the spirit of maritime figureheads—ornate wooden sculptures that adorned the prows of ships, symbolizing protection, adventure, and cultural identity in early American seafaring. Rendered in watercolor, ...