Materials from Quilt
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, pen and ink, and gouache on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 23 x 28 cm (9 1/16 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
1943.8.982
Art Historical Context
**Materials from Quilt** Dorothy Posten, created around 1937, is a meticulous rendering in watercolor, pen and ink and gouache on paperboard, measuring a compact 23 x 28 cm. This intimate study captures the textures and patterns of quilt fabrics, showcasing Posten's skill in blending precise line work with vibrant, opaque gou layers to evoke the tactile quality of everyday American crafts. As part of the Index of American Design—a New Deal-era Federal Art Project (5–1942)—this work documents the nation's folk art heritage during the Great Depression. Artists like Posten were commissioned to p...
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...