Metal Grits Grinder
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paper
Dimensions
overall: 36.9 x 33.8 cm (14 1/2 x 13 5/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.11400
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Metal Grits Grinder* by Ray Price, a watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paper from around 1939. Measuring 36.9 x 33.8 cm, this precise depiction captures an everyday American kitchen tool—a sturdy metal device for grinding grits, evoking the heart of Southern homelife and self-sufficient cooking traditions during the Great Depression era. Created as part of the Index of American Design, a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project (19351942), Price's work contributes to a vast visual archive documenting America's folk art, crafts, and industrial designs. Sponsored by the U.S....
About the Artist
Ray Price
Ray Price was an American artist active around 1935, renowned for his meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday American objects and crafts. His oeuvre, comprising 88 works held in the National Gallery of Art collection, captures the functional beauty of vernacular items from the late 1930s through the late 1940s. Little is known about Price's early life or formal training, as biographical deta...