Ivory Carpenter's Plane
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 22.9 x 30.5 cm (9 x 12 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13306
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Ivory Carpenter's Plane a meticulous rendering by artist James M. Lawson, created around 1937. This delicate watercolor, graphite, andache work on paper measures 22.9 x 30.5 cm and captures the elegant curves and intricate details of a rare ivory-handled carpenter's tool. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design collection, it exemplifies the precision of American folk craft through Lawson's skilled hand. Produced during the Great Depression as part of the Federal Art Project—a WPA initiative— the Index of American Design employed artists like Lawson to doc...
About the Artist
James M. Lawson
James M. Lawson is an artist about whom the available historical record is limited. No confirmed birth or death dates have been established, and his nationality remains uncertain, making it difficult to place his work within a specific artistic movement or tradition with confidence. The works attributed to Lawson suggest a practitioner with artistic training and a developed approach to his chosen...