Materials from Quilt
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.8 x 28 cm (9 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
1943.8.3302
Art Historical Context
**Materials from Quilt** by Dorothy Posten, created around 1937, captures the tactile essence of American folk artistry through delicate watercolor, gouache, graphite on paperboard. just 9 x 11 inches, this intimate study belongs to the Index of American Design (IAD), a monumental WPA-era project that employed artists to document everyday objects reflecting the nation's cultural heritage during the Great Depression. Post rendering highlights the humble yet vibrant materials—fabrics, threads, and patches—that form traditional quilts, symbols of resourcefulness and community in rural American l...
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...