Leather Belt
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.5 x 24.8 cm (14 x 9 3/4 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.14249
Art Historical Context
Step into the rich tradition of American craftsmanship with *Leather Belt*, a meticulous rendering by Harry Mann Wadd from around 1936. This artwork is part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Launched in 1935, the Index employed artists across the U.S. to create thousands of detailed drawings documenting folk, decorative, and popular arts—preserving cultural heritage at a time when economic hardship threatened traditional skills. Waddell masterfully captures the belt's intricate tooled leather patte...
About the Artist
Harry Mann Waddell
Harry Mann Waddell (1876–1956) was an American artist born on June 22, 1876, in Ohio, whose career flourished in California after he settled in Los Angeles by 1936. There he established a studio, working as a freelance draftsman while creating fine art in his spare time. His early life and formal training remain not well documented, but by the late 1930s, Waddell had become a key contributor to th...