Jack, the Nimble Juggler
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, gouache, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 51 x 38.2 cm (20 1/16 x 15 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 17" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16866
Art Historical Context
**Jack, the Nimble Juggler is a vibrant rendering by Ruth Abrams, created around 1937 as part of the Index of Design (IAD). Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) artists to document America's rich folk art heritage during the Great Depression. Abrams captured a whimsical 17-inch-high folk carving—likely a playful wooden figure of "Jack be nimble," the nursery rhyme hero leaping over a candlestick while juggling—preserving its lively spirit in exquisite detail on paperboard. Abrams employed a masterful mix of watercolor, gouache, graphite, pen, and ink to replicate ...