Materials from Quilt
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 27.9 x 23 cm (11 x 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.987
Art Historical Context
**Materials from Quilt** by Dorothy Posten, created around 1937, captures the intricate beauty of American quilting traditions through watercolor, gouache, and on paperboard. Measuring a modest 27.9 x 23 cm, this delicate work is part of the National Gallery Art's Index of American collection, a treasure trove of Depression-era documentation. Posten, one of over 200 artists in the Federal Art Project Index of American Design (5–1942), rendered everyday objects to celebrate America's folk art heritage amid the Great Depression. Quilts, symbols of resourcefulness and community craftsmanship, we...
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...