Flat Iron Holder
c. 1937
Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 22.5 x 28.9 cm (8 7/8 x 11 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 7 7/8" long; 3 7/8" wide; 13/16" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15795
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Flat Iron Holder* by Isidore Sovens, a meticulous graphite drawing from around 1937, measuring 22.5 x 28.9 cm. This work captures the precise form of a practical American household object—originally 7 7/8 inches long, 3 7/8 inches wide, and13/16 inches highdesigned to cradle heavy sad irons heated on stoves before electric models took over. Sovensky's fine lines render every curve, handle, and functional detail with technical precision, evoking the sturdy elegance of early 20th-century domestic craftsmanship. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a New Deal-era Fe...
About the Artist
Isidore Sovensky
Isidore Sovensky is an artist whose life and career remain poorly documented in the historical record. No confirmed birth or death dates have been established, and the precise national or cultural context in which he worked is uncertain. The surviving works attributed to him suggest activity during the nineteenth century, but the specifics of his training, patrons, and professional milieu have yet...