Night Lamp
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.4 x 24.5 cm (13 15/16 x 9 5/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 5 1/8" high; 3 1/2" in diameter
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12176
Art Historical Context
**Night Lamp**, a captivating rendering by Dorothy Posten from around 1936, showcases a delicate night lamp through watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper. 35.4 x 24.5 cm, this precise depiction captures the original object's modest scale—5 1/8 inches high and 3 1/2 inches in diameter—ing its intimate, functional beauty as an everyday American artifact. Posten's skilled layering of translucent watercolors with fine graphite details and ink outlines brings the lamp's form to life, emphasizing texture, light play, and subtle ornamentation typical of early American craftsmanship. Created...
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...