Quaker Dress

Art Historical Context

This delicate rendering of a Quaker dress, created around 1936 by Sara Garfinkel, belongs to the Index of American Design, a remarkable New Deal initiative that documented the nation’s decorative arts and material culture during the Great Depression. The Index employed skilled artists to produce accurate watercolor and gouache illustrations of historic objects, ensuring that everyday items of American craftsmanship would be preserved for future generations. At just under 12 inches tall, this intimate work on paper captures the quiet dignity of traditional Quaker attire with remarkable precisio...