Press

Art Historical Context

In 1938, artist Michael Fallon created *Press*, a meticulous watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard, measuring 27.9 x 35.4 cm. This work captures the form and details of an original American object—a compact press standing 12 inches long and5½ inches deep—highlighting everyday tools that shaped early American life. Fallon's precise technique blends soft watercolor washes for depth and texture with sharp graphite lines for accuracy, evoking the tactile quality of wood and metal. As part of the Index of Design (IAD), a New Deal-era Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), *Press* belongs to a vast archive of over 15,000 renderings produced between 1935 and 1942. Artists like Fallon documented folk art, crafts, and utilitarian objects to celebrate and preserve the nation's diverse cultural heritage during the Great Depression, ensuring these artifacts' stories endured. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this piece underscores the IAD's role in fostering national pride and artistic documentation. It invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary designs reflect ingenuity, bridging art history with America's material past in an engaging, accessible way.