Pitcher

Art Historical Context

In the heart of the Great Depression, artist Michael Trekur contributed to the Index of American Design (IAD), a ambitious Federal Art Project launched in 1935 under the Works Progress Administration. This watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard, created between 1935 and 1942, meticulously documents a modest 7½-inch-high pitcher, capturing its form with precise detail. Measuring 29.2 x 22.6 cm overall, the work exemplifies the IAD's mission to celebrate everyday American craftsmanship through faithful artistic reproductions. Trekur's technique blends the fluidity of watercolor for subtle tones and textures with graphite's sharp lines, rendering the pitcher's contours, glaze, or engravings with documentary accuracy. As part of the National Gallery of Art's collection, it reflects the project's goal to preserve vanishing folk art and design traditions—from pottery to quilts—elevating utilitarian objects into symbols of cultural heritage. This pitcher, though simple, embodies America's inventive spirit, likely hailing from regional potters or early industrial designers. Trekur's piece invites us to appreciate the artistry in the ordinary, reminding visitors how such IAD works safeguard our shared history for future generations.

About the Artist

Michael Trekur · 1855–present

Michael Trekur is an artist about whom very little biographical information has been firmly established by art historians. No confirmed birth or death dates are recorded, and the limited documentary trail that survives makes it difficult to reconstruct the arc of his training, career, or artistic affiliations with confidence. The works attributed to him suggest a practitioner active at some point ...