Jug
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.8 x 29.2 cm (9 x 11 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: 7 1/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.17445
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate rendering of a *Jug* by Yolande Delasser, created 1940 as part of the Index of American. This watercolor and graphite on paperboard, measuring 22.8 x 29.2 cm (9 x 11½ in.), captures the modest elegance of an everyday American object—originally 7¼ inches high—likely a humble ceramic vessel from the nation's folk craft tradition. Delasser's precise lines in graphite delineate the jug's form and subtle contours, while soft watercolor washes evoke its earthy tones and tactile surface, blending technical accuracy with artistic sensitivity. Produced under the Federal Art Project...
About the Artist
Yolande Delasser
Yolande Delasser was an American artist active during the mid-1930s, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Amid the Great Depression, this ambitious New Deal initiative commissioned artists to document America's rich heritage of folk art and utilitarian objects through precise watercolor ren...