Patchwork Quilt (Swatches)
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
sheet: 35 × 50 cm (13 3/4 × 19 11/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 94" square
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.874
Art Historical Context
Henry Granet’s *Patchwork Quilt (Sw)*, created around 1938, is a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering on paper (35 × 50 cm) from the Index of American Design (IAD), a New Deal-era Federal Art Project. Launched during the Great Depression, the IAD employed artists to document America’s rich folk art and design heritage through meticulous studies, preserving objects at risk of being lost. This piece, housed in the National Gallery of, faithfully captures a 94-inch square quilt, highlighting the everyday creativity of American homemakers. Patchwork quilts like this one exemplify vernacu...