High-boy
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.2 x 24.7 cm (13 7/8 x 9 3/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 86"high; 40"wide; 21"deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5211
Art Historical Context
**High-boy** by Randolph F. Miller created around 1937, is a meticulous rendering of a classic American highboy—a tall chest drawers on cabriole legs, emblematic of 18th-century colonial furniture. Measuring 35.2 x 24.7 cm, this work captures the original object's imposing scale (86 inches high, 40 inches wide,21 inches deep) through vibrant watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite on paper. Miller's mixed-media technique allows for exquisite detail, from the wood grain's texture to the subtle sheen of finishes, evoking the craftsmanship of early American cabinetmakers. As part o...
About the Artist
Randolph F. Miller
Randolph F. Miller was an American artist active in the late 1930s and early 1940s who contributed work to the Index of American Design, the New Deal initiative that employed artists nationwide to document American decorative arts and material culture through precise watercolor renderings. Administered by the Federal Art Project, the Index assembled what became one of the most extensive pictorial ...