Flat Iron Stand

Art Historical Context

Henrietta S. Hukill's *Flat Iron Stand* (c. 1941) is a meticulous rendering of a classic American household object, capturing the humble yet essential stand designed to hold heavy flat irons used for ironing clothes before electricity became widespread. Created with watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paperboard (26.7 x 35.5 cm), this work exemplifies the precision and vibrancy of mixed-media techniques, where gouache provides opaque highlights and graphite adds fine details, bringing the wooden stand's form and grain to life. As part of the Index of American Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942—this piece contributed to a national effort to document and celebrate everyday American crafts and folk art. Artists like Hukill produced over 15,000 such renderings, preserving cultural artifacts amid the Great Depression and fostering pride in the nation's design heritage. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, *Flat Iron Stand* highlights the artistry in utilitarian objects, reminding us of the ingenuity of American makers and the enduring value of vernacular design in our shared history.