Pewter Cup
c. 1936
Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 30.4 x 22.8 cm (11 15/16 x 9 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13042
Art Historical Context
Henry Meyers' *Pewter Cup* (c. 1936) is a meticulous graphite drawing on paper, measuring 30.4 x 22.8 cm, that captures the elegant simplicity of an everyday American craft object. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project—Meyers' work exemplifies the era's commitment to documenting the nation's folk art and decorative traditions amid the Great Depression. The Index, active from 1935 to 1942, employed artists across the U.S. to produce over 15,000 renderings of historical artifacts, preserving cultural heritage through precise, stylized illustrat...
About the Artist
Henry Meyers
Henry Meyers was an American artist active during the 1930s and early 1940s, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a monumental Works Progress Administration (WPA) project that sought to document the nation's rich heritage of folk art, crafts, and decorative objects. Operating under the Federal Art Project, Meyers produced precise, watercolor and graphite renderings of ...