Jelly Mold
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard.
Dimensions
overall: 28 x 22.5 cm (11 x 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5103
Art Historical Context
**Jelly Mold** by H. Alexander, created around 1940, is a rendering from the *Index of American Design*, landmark WPA Federal Art Project (1935–1942). This ambitious initiative employed artists across the U.S. to document everyday American folk art and decorative objects through precise, colorful watercolor studies, preserving cultural heritage during the Great Depression. Alexander's work captures the humble yet elegant form of a jelly mold—a common household item used for shaping translucent desserts in 19th- and early 20th-century American kitchens—highlighting the ingenuity of vernacular d...