Grotesque Jug

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Grotesque Jug*, captivating 1936 watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil by Yolande Delasser, measuring 22.7 x 29.5 cm. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD)—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942—this work meticulously documents a folk pottery vessel standing 7¼ inches tall with a 4½-inch base diameter and slender 1½-inch neck. Delasser's precise depiction captures the jug's whimsical, exaggerated form, evoking the playful "grotesque" style popular in 19th-century American ceramics, where fanciful faces and distortions added charm to everyday objects. The IAD commissioned over 15,000 such renderings by artists nationwide to celebrate and preserve America's rich heritage of folk and decorative arts amid the Great Depression. Delasser, a skilled illustrator, employed layered techniques: graphite for fine outlines, watercolor for vibrant hues, and colored pencil for subtle shading, achieving a lifelike quality that bridges art and artifact documentation. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, this piece underscores the cultural value of vernacular craftsmanship, transforming a humble jug into a symbol of American ingenuity and creativity. Today, it invites us to appreciate how everyday designs reflected regional whimsy and storytelling, reminding visitors of the enduring appeal of folk traditions.

About the Artist

Yolande Delasser · 1855–present

Yolande Delasser was an American artist active during the mid-1930s, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Amid the Great Depression, this ambitious New Deal initiative commissioned artists to document America's rich heritage of folk art and utilitarian objects through precise watercolor ren...