Nutcracker
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 40.7 x 50.9 cm (16 x 20 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 6" high; 9 1/4" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12780
Art Historical Context
Behold the charming *Nutcracker* by Frank McEntee, around 1937 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This detailed rendering captures a modest yet evocative American folk art object—a nutcracker measuring just 6 inches high and9¼ inches wide—transformed into a 16 x 20-inch artwork on paper. McEntee's exemplifies the IAD's mission, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) initiative during the Great Depression, to document and celebrate everyday American craftsmanship through precise, artistic reproductions. Rendered in watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite, the work showcases meticulous...