Illuminated Title Page from Manuscript Songbook
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 36.6 x 44.3 cm (14 7/16 x 17 7/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.3360
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Illuminated Title Page Manuscript Songbook*, a vibrant 1937 watercolor rendering by Elmer G. Anderson part of the esteemed Index of American Design (IAD). Created during the Great Depression as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, the IAD employed artists to meticulously document America's folk art and decorative traditions through over 15,000 precise watercolor plates. Anderson's work captures the ornate, hand-illuminated style of a historic manuscript songbook title page, evoking medieval European manuscripts adapted into American vernacular craft. Crafted with waterco...
About the Artist
Elmer G. Anderson
**Elmer G. Anderson** was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project that documented the nation's folk art heritage during the Great Depression. Active primarily in the 1930s, Anderson studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where he earned prestigious Cresson Traveling Scholarsh...