Memorial Money Bank
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 30.2 x 22.2 cm (11 7/8 x 8 3/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 6" high; 4 3/4" wide; 4 3/4" deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8588
Art Historical Context
**Memorial Money Bank**, a meticulous rendering by artist Nicholas Amantea around 1940, captures the of an early 20th-century American folk art object—a small, novelty piggy bank measuring just 6 inches high and 4¾ inches wide and deep. as part of the Federal Art Project's Index of American Design (I), this watercolor, graphite and pen-and-ink drawing on paper (30.2 × 22.2 cm) the bank's intricate details, evoking patriotic or commemorative themes common in vernacular crafts of the era. The IAD, launched in 1935 under the Works Progress Administration, employed artists like Amantea to documen...
About the Artist
Nicholas Amantea
Nicholas Amantea (1900–1978) was an American artist born on July 13, 1900, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His early life and artistic training are not well documented, but by the mid-1930s, he had established himself in New York City, where he contributed significantly to federal art initiatives during the Great Depression. From March 13, 1936, to July 15, 1942, Amantea worked for the Works Progress...