Ox Cart Chair

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Ox Cart Chair*, a rendering by artist Wilbur M. Rice, created around 1939 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). detailed depiction captures a charming piece of American folk furniture, likely a rustic wooden chair associated with ox-drawn carts—evoking the hardy, everyday ingenuity of rural life in early America. Measuring 55.7 x 45.7 cm, the work showcases Rice's skill in preserving cultural artifacts that might otherwise fade into obscurity. Produced under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, the IAD commissioned artists like Rice to document the nation's decorative arts and crafts through meticulous, full-color illustrations. This initiative celebrated everyday American design, from quilts to tools, fostering national pride in vernacular heritage amid economic hardship. Rice's contribution highlights the functional beauty of agrarian objects, bridging colonial traditions with 20th-century appreciation. Crafted with watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, the piece masterfully renders textures—from weathered wood grain to subtle color variations—mimicking the original's tactile qualities. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it invites visitors to ponder how such humble designs reflect America's pioneering spirit, blending utility and artistry in a single, enduring image.

About the Artist

Wilbur M Rice · 1909–1974

**Wilbur M. Rice (1909–1974)** was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Active primarily between 1935 and 1942, Rice produced detailed watercolor, gouache, and graphite renderings of everyday American folk objects, tools, toys, and crafts. Thes...