Lottery Wheel
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 44.5 x 36 cm (17 1/2 x 14 3/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12592
Art Historical Context
Step into the colorful world of American folk art with *Lottery Wheel*, a captivating watercolor and graphite drawing by Al Curry, created around 1938. This precise 44.5 x 36 cm on paper belongs to the Index of American Design, a trove of Depression-era documentation housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department. Produced under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, the Index employed artists like Curry to meticulously record everyday objects that embodied America's cultural heritage—from quilts and whirligigs to tools and toys. *Lotter...
About the Artist
Al Curry
**Al Curry** (American, active c. 1935) was a skilled draftsman whose precise renderings captured the essence of American folk art and vernacular craftsmanship during the Great Depression era. Little is known about his early life or formal training, as biographical details remain sparsely documented. Curry gained prominence through his contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art P...