Quaker's Baby Bonnet
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 40.2 x 35.7 cm (15 13/16 x 14 1/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.1813
Art Historical Context
Eleanor Gausser's *Quaker's Baby Bonnet* (c. 1937), a delicate watercolor and graphite rendering on paper measuring 40.2 x 35.7 cm, captures the understated elegance of early American folk craftsmanship. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a New Deal-era Federal Art Project (1935–1942)—this work meticulously documents a traditional Quaker infant's bonnet, emblematic of the Society of Friends' commitment to plain, functional attire free from ornamentation. The Index aimed to celebrate and preserve America's diverse cultural heritage during the Great Depression, employing artists li...