Quilted Coverlet
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.6 x 27.6 cm (14 x 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.311
Art Historical Context
Ruth M. Barnes's *Quilted Coverlet* (c. 1936) is a vibrant watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper, measuring 35.6 x 27.6 cm. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a New Deal-era Federal Art Project (1935–1942)—this precise study captures the intricate patterns and textures of a traditional American quilted coverlet. Barnes, one of over 400 artists employed in the initiative, meticulously documented folk crafts to preserve the nation's cultural heritage during the Great Depression, blending artistic skill with ethnographic accuracy. Quilting held deep cultural significance in ear...
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...