Flat Iron Holder
c. 1937
Medium
graphite and watercolor on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.2 x 28.8 cm (8 3/4 x 11 5/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 5 1/4" long; 4 1/8" wide; 3/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15777
Art Historical Context
Helen Hobart's *Flat Iron Holder* (c. 1937) is a meticulous rendering of a humble yet ingenious American folk craft object—a small wooden holder designed to safely store and transport heavy flat irons used for ironing clothes in the days before electric appliances. Measuring just 5¼ inches long, 4⅛ inches wide, and ¾ inch high in its original form, this everyday utilitarian item exemplifies early 20th-century domestic design, blending functionality with simple craftsmanship. Created as part of the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depress...
About the Artist
Helen Hobart
Helen Hobart is an artist about whom the historical record offers limited documentation. Her nationality, dates of birth and death, and formal training have not been firmly established in the sources currently available to scholars, making a detailed account of her life and career difficult to provide with confidence. The works attributed to Hobart indicate an artist with evident technical skill ...