Ginger Box Tin

Art Historical Context

**Ginger Box Tin***J. Howard Iams, c. 1938* Watercolor, pen and ink, graphite onboard, 50.8 × 38.1 cm (20 × 15 in.) *Index of American Design, National Gallery of Art* Created by artist J. Howard Iams around 1938, *Ginger Box Tin* a meticulous rendering of a humble 19th-century American tin container, originally measuring 2 3/4 inches high, 9 1/2 inches long, 3 3/4 inches wide. This detailed depiction captures the box's functional elegance—likely used to store ginger spice in households or shops—highlighting its embossed designs and practical form. Iams's work preserves an everyday object that reflects early American craftsmanship, blending utility with subtle ornamentation typical of vernacular tinware produced in New England workshops. As part of the *Index of American Design*, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from the Great Depression era, this artwork holds profound historical significance. Launched in 1935, the Index employed artists to document thousands of folk art and design objects, creating a visual archive of America's cultural heritage before many were lost to time. Iams's piece exemplifies this mission, using watercolor for vibrant hues, pen and ink for precise lines, and graphite for fine shading on paperboard, techniques that convey texture and depth with scientific accuracy. Today, housed in the National Gallery of Art, *Ginger Box Tin* invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary items embody national identity, bridging art, history, and the stories of everyday life. (198 words)

About the Artist

J. Howard Iams

John Howard Iams (1897–1964) was an American artist and self-described artist-historian whose passion for the regional past of southwestern Pennsylvania shaped one of the most distinctive careers to emerge from the Federal Art Project era. Born in Amwell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Iams grew up in the North Ten Mile region near the border of Greene County, a landscape steeped in col...