Horse's Head Bank

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Horse's Head Bank*, captivating 1938 rendering by Alf Bruseth, of the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design collection. This mixed-media work on paper—employing watercolor, gouache pen and ink, and graphite—meticulously captures a charming folk art piggy bank shaped like a horse's head Measuring 21.5 29 cm overall, it vividly reproduces the original object's modest dimensions (about 13.6 cm high), showcasing the bank's glossy, sculptural form with realistic sheen and intricate details. Created during the Great Depression as part of the Federal Art Project's Index of American Design (1935–1942), Bruseth's piece exemplifies a WPA-era effort to document and celebrate everyday American craftsmanship. Artists like him produced over 15,000 precise, colorful plates of folk objects, preserving cultural heritage amid economic hardship. The combination of fluid watercolors for depth, opaque gouache for highlights, fine ink lines for contours, and graphite for subtle shading creates a lifelike study that bridges art and artifact. This whimsical bank reflects 19th-century American folk traditions, where humble savings devices doubled as playful sculptures. Bruseth's technical mastery not only revives a slice of vernacular design but invites us to appreciate the ingenuity of ordinary makers—perfect for sparking curiosity in our virtual gallery halls.

About the Artist

Alf Bruseth · 1855–present

Alf Bruseth (1898–1974) was born on May 10, 1898, in Silvana, Washington, a small logging community in Snohomish County. As a self-taught artist specializing in watercolor and drawings, Bruseth honed his skills independently before entering the professional art world during the Great Depression. In 1938, he submitted his portfolio to Robert Bruce Inverarity, supervisor of the Federal Art Project i...