Gloves

Art Historical Context

This watercolor and graphite rendering titled *Gloves*, created around 1937 by Jessie M. Benge, forms part of the Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art. The Index was a New Deal initiative of the Federal Art Project, employing artists during the Great Depression to create a comprehensive visual record of American decorative arts and crafts from colonial times through the nineteenth century. Benge’s precise work on paperboard reflects the project’s documentary aims, using watercolor over graphite to capture textures, colors, and construction details with near-scientific accuracy. Such illustrations preserved the appearance of everyday objects—like these gloves—that were at risk of disappearing, highlighting the skill of anonymous American makers. Beyond providing vital employment, the Index fostered lasting appreciation for the nation’s folk-art heritage. Today this modest yet meticulous sheet offers visitors insight into both historical craftsmanship and the dedicated artists who recorded it for future generations.

About the Artist

Jessie M. Benge · 1881–1971

Jessie M. Benge (1881–1971) was an artist born in England who became one of the many contributors to the Index of American Design, the New Deal project administered through the Federal Art Project that employed artists nationwide to document American decorative arts, crafts, and material culture from the colonial era through the late nineteenth century. The Index, conceived in the 1930s and execut...