Garden Gate Latch
c. 1940
Medium
graphite on paperboard
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12047
Art Historical Context
**Garden Gate Latch** *Maurice Van Felix, c. 1940* Graphite on paperboard Index of American Design, National Gallery of Art Step through the charming world of American folk craftsmanship with Maurice Van Felix's *Garden Gate Latch*, a meticulous graphite drawing created around 1940 as part of the Index of American Design. This ambitious WPA Federal Art Project (1935–1942) commissioned artists across the U.S. to document everyday objects, preserving the nation's rich decorative traditions amid the Great Depression. Van Felix's rendering captures the intricate metalwork of a garden gate...
About the Artist
Maurice Van Felix
Maurice Van Felix was born on March 16, 1889, in Łódź, Poland, and later became a prominent figure in American art circles after immigrating to the United States. His early training took place in Poland and France, where he honed his skills as a painter and etcher before settling in Brooklyn, New York, by 1919. Though details of his formal education remain sparse, Van Felix quickly established him...