Plate Treen
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 45.8 x 35.6 cm (18 1/16 x 14 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15902
Art Historical Context
"Plate Treen," a meticulously rendered watercolor and graphite drawing by Wellington Blewett from 1938, captures the humble elegance of American folk craftsmanship. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project (1935–1942)—this work documents a wooden plate, or "treen," exemplifying everyday objects made from turned wood that were staples in colonial and early American households. Blewett's precise depiction preserves these artifacts' subtle grains, forms, and patinas, safeguarding a vanishing tradition amid the Great Depression era. The medium of wa...
About the Artist
Wellington Blewett
**Wellington Blewett (1875–1962)** was a Canadian-born American artist renowned for his meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday American folk objects. Active primarily in the late 1930s, Blewett contributed significantly to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that sought to document the nation's vernacular artistic heritage through...