Pin Tray
c. 1939
Medium
graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.3 x 22.7 cm (11 1/8 x 8 15/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 4 5/8" wide; 6 5/8" long; 3/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13267
Art Historical Context
**Pin Tray**, a delicate graphite drawing by Helen Hobart from around 1939, captures refined charm of an everyday American household object. Measuring 28.3 x 22.7 cm on paperboard, this work meticulously renders a small pin tray—originally 4 5/8 inches wide, 6 5/8 inches long, and 3/4 inch high—showcasing its elegant form and subtle details. Hobart's precise lines highlight the tray's functional beauty, evoking the craftsmanship of early 20th-century decorative arts. Created as part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935–1942, this piece be...
About the Artist
Helen Hobart
Helen Hobart is an artist about whom the historical record offers limited documentation. Her nationality, dates of birth and death, and formal training have not been firmly established in the sources currently available to scholars, making a detailed account of her life and career difficult to provide with confidence. The works attributed to Hobart indicate an artist with evident technical skill ...