Materials from Quilt
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.5 x 28 cm (14 x 11 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.969
Art Historical Context
**Materials from Quilt** by Dorothy Posten, created around 1936, captures the intricate beauty of American textile traditions through watercolor, gouache, and graphite paper. Measuring 35.5 x 28 cm, this delicate work renders quilt fabrics and patterns with precise detail, highlighting the tactile qualities of everyday materials transformed into folk art. As part of the Index of American Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942—Posten's rendering preserves vanishing examples of American craftsmanship during the Great Depression. The initiative employed artists nationw...
About the Artist
Dorothy Posten
Dorothy Posten 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 initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Launched in 1935, this ambitious endeavor employed artists across the United States to document the nation's folk art, crafts, and decorative traditions through detailed render...