Materials from Quilt

Art Historical Context

**Materials from Quilt** by Katherine Hastings, created around 1936, is a rendering from the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). from 1935 to 1942, the IAD artists across the U.S. to everyday American crafts, folk art, and design through precise watercolor plates. Hastings, a skilled illustrator, contributed numerous works celebrating regional traditions, capturing the essence of quilts—beloved symbols of American domestic ingenuity and community storytelling. Rendered in watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper (35.5 x 28 cm), this piece masterfully depicts quilt fabrics with luminous color and fine detail. Gouache provides the opaque vibrancy for bold patterns, while watercolor adds subtle transparency, and graphite outlines ensure accuracy. Such techniques allowed IAD artists to create faithful, museum-quality records of fragile heirlooms, preserving them for posterity amid the Great Depression. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this artwork underscores quilts' cultural role in American life—from pioneer scrapwork to intricate piecing—highlighting resourcefulness and creativity. It invites visitors to appreciate how everyday materials wove the nation's visual heritage.

About the Artist

Katherine Hastings · 1855–present

Katherine Hastings was an American artist active during the 1930s, best known for her contributions to the Index of American Design, a New Deal-era project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create precise watercolor renderings of everyday folk and decorative objects, preserving a visual record of the nation's m...