Music Box
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 39.8 x 29.7 cm (15 11/16 x 11 11/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 6 3/16" wide; 4 11/16" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15686
Art Historical Context
**Music Box** by Chris Makrenos, between 1935 and 1942, is a captivating watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper from the Index of American Design. Measuring 39.8 x 29.7 cm, this precise depiction captures a diminutive music box—originally just 6 3/16 inches wide by 4 11/16 inches high—casing everyday American craftsmanship from an earlier era. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, it exemplifies the Federal Art Project's mission during the Great Depression to document the nation's artistic heritage. Part of the Works Progress Administration's (WPA) ambitious Index of America...
About the Artist
Chris Makrenos
Chris Makrenos was an American artist active in the mid-twentieth century who contributed a substantial body of work to the Index of American Design, the New Deal-era federal project that documented American folk art and decorative culture through meticulous watercolor illustration. His works are held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and span a wide range of subjects drawn from ...