Nails and Pins
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 42.2 x 33 cm (16 5/8 x 13 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12743
Art Historical Context
**Nails and Pins** by Wellington Blewett created around 1937, captures the humble beauty of everyday American craftsmanship through a meticulous watercolor, graphite, and pen-and-ink rendering on paper (42.2 x 33 cm). Part of the National Gallery of's Index of American Design, this work exemplifies the project's mission to document the nation's rich folk art and design heritage during the Great Depression. Sponsored by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project (193–1942), the Index employed artists like Blewett to produce vibrant, accurate depictions of artifacts—from tools to t...
About the Artist
Wellington Blewett
**Wellington Blewett (1875–1962)** was a Canadian-born American artist renowned for his meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday American folk objects. Active primarily in the late 1930s, Blewett contributed significantly to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that sought to document the nation's vernacular artistic heritage through...