Poke Bonnet
c. 1936
Medium
graphite and colored pencil on paper
Dimensions
overall: 30.5 x 22.7 cm (12 x 8 15/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.3092
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 19th American fashion with *Poke Bonnet*, a meticulous rendering by artist Nancy Crimi around 1936. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project during the Great Depression—this graphite and colored pencil drawing on paper (30.5 x 22.7 cm) captures the elegance of a classic women's headwear. The Index employed hundreds of artists to document everyday American objects, preserving folk art and design heritage amid economic hardship. The poke bonnet, with its distinctive projecting brim framing the face, was a staple of w...
About the Artist
Nancy Crimi
Nancy Crimi (1916–unknown) was an American artist born in Italy and raised as a U.S. citizen, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Active primarily in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Crimi documented everyday American objects, crafts, and costumes through detailed illustrations, capturing t...