Hay Fork
1938
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28 x 35.7 cm (11 x 14 1/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.11472
Art Historical Context
**Hay Fork**, created by Alfonso Moreno in 1938, is a meticulous rendering from the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark WPA Federal Art Project. This watercolor, graphite, and colored work on paperboard (28 x 35.7 cm) captures the humble yet essential hay fork—a staple of American farm life—with precise detail and vibrant realism. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department, it exemplifies the IAD's mission to document and celebrate everyday American objects, preserving cultural heritage amid the Great Depression. The IAD, active from 1935 to 1942, employed artists like Mor...