Quilt (1 Section)
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.3 x 24.9 cm (13 7/8 x 9 13/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.310
Art Historical Context
Behold *Quilt (1 Section, a captivating watercolor, graphite, and gouache rendering on paper by Ruth M. Barnes, created around 1936. Measuring 13⅞ × 9⅞ inches, this work is part of the Index of American Design, a monumental Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Launched in 1935, the Index employed artists across the U.S. to document everyday American folk and decorative arts through precise, colorful studies, preserving cultural heritage at a time of economic hardship. Barnes masterfully captures the intricate patterns and textures of a...
About the Artist
Ruth M. Barnes
Ruth M. Barnes (1880–1954) was an American artist best known for her meticulous watercolor renderings of traditional American folk textiles as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Active during the Great Depression era from roughly 1935 to 1942, Barnes contributed dozens of detailed studies to this ambitious initiative, which em...