Police Rattle

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of American folk objects with Samuel Fineman's *Police Rattle* (c. 1936), a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard. Measuring 12 x 9 inches, this meticulously captures a wooden hand-cranked noisemaker once used by police officers in the 19th century. Before the invention of the modern whistle in the 1880s, these rattles a loud, distinctive clatter to alert crowds, summon aid, or signal during pursuits—evoking the bustling streets of early American cities. Created as part of the Index of American Design, a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, Fineman's piece preserves the nation's material culture amid the Great Depression. This initiative employed artists to document everyday artifacts through precise, colorful illustrations, ensuring that folk traditions like the police rattle—symbols of law enforcement's gritty history—endured for future generations. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W Department, it exemplifies the Index's role in celebrating utilitarian design. Fineman's technique blends graphite's fine lines for intricate details with watercolor's luminous hues, highlighting the rattle's carved wooden form and mechanical ingenuity. This medium allowed for accurate, museum-quality reproductions, bridging art and history. Today, it invites visitors to ponder how simple tools shaped public safety and community life in America.

About the Artist

Samuel Fineman · 1855–present

Samuel Fineman was an American artist active during the late 1930s, best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create watercolor renderings of everyday folk art, crafts, and decorative objects, capturing the essence of Ame...