Police Rattle
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 30.5 x 22.8 cm (12 x 9 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13383
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 ...
About the Artist
Samuel Fineman
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...