Hoe Blade
c. 1941
Medium
watercolor, goauche, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.5 x 24.7 cm (14 x 9 3/4 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.11527
Art Historical Context
William Hoffman's *Hoe Blade* (c. 194) is a meticulous of an everyday American farming tool, captured through the of the Index of American. Created as part of ambitious WPA Federal Art Project1935–1942), artwork documents the nation's folk crafts and decorative arts at a time when industrialization threatened craftsmanship. Hoffman's depiction celebrates the humble hoe—a vital implement in American—elevating its functional form to object of aesthetic appreciation, much like the's broader mission to preserve cultural during the Great Depression. in watercolor, gouache pen and ink, and graphit...