Horse

Art Historical Context

In the heart of the Great Depression, the Index of American Design—a Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942—commissioned artists like Einar Heiberg create meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday American folk art. "Horse," dated 1935/1942, exemplifies this effort. Heiberg, a skilled Norwegian-American illustrator, captured a charming carved wooden horse object (originally 10 inches long and 4½ inches wide using watercolor and graphite on paper, measuring 40.8 53.4 cm. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this piece belongs to the CG-W department and celebrates the ingenuity of American craftsmen. Heiberg's technique blends the precision of graphite outlines with vibrant watercolor washes, rendering the horse's folkloric form in exquisite detail—from its stylized mane to its playful proportions. This medium was ideal for the IAD's goal: not mere copies, but interpretive documents that highlighted regional aesthetics and cultural heritage. Such works preserved vanishing traditions, like whimsical wooden toys or whirligigs, amid economic hardship. Today, "Horse" invites us to appreciate how ordinary objects embodied American spirit. It underscores the WPA's role in employing artists while safeguarding our design legacy for future generations.

About the Artist

Einar Heiberg · 1893–1964

Einar Heiberg (1893–1964) was an American artist best known for his meticulous documentation of everyday American folk art objects during the Great Depression era. Active primarily in the late 1930s, Heiberg contributed significantly to the Index of American Design, a groundbreaking Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This initiative commissioned artists across the U...