Lamp
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.8 x 22.6 cm (11 5/16 x 8 7/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 7 1/2" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12541
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate rendering *Lamp* by Giacinto Capelli, created around 1937 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This watercolor and graphite work on paperboard (28.8 x 22.6 cm) meticulously captures a modest 7½-inch-high American lamp, preserving its form for posterity. Housed in the National Gallery of, it exemplifies the IAD's mission to document everyday objects that embodied the nation's cultural heritage. During the Great Depression, the IAD—a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (1935–1942)—employed artists like Capelli to produce vibrant, accurate il...
About the Artist
Giacinto Capelli
**Giacinto Capelli** (American, active c. 1935–1942) contributed significantly to the documentation of American material culture through his precise watercolor renderings as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Little is known about his early life or formal training, which remains sparsely documented, though his expertise in wat...