Restoration Drawing: Wall Decoration Over Doorway, Facade of Mission-House
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.7 x 24.5 cm (14 1/16 x 9 5/8 in.) Original IAD Object: Door approx: 6'3" x 3'3"
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5941
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Index of American Design, a landmark WPA project from the Great Depression era, Geoffrey Holt's *Restoration Drawing: Wall Over Doorway, Fac of Mission-House*c. 1937) captures the intricate charm of early American architecture. Created with watercolor, colored pencil, graphite on paper (35.7 x 24.5 cm), this rendering documents the decorative details above a doorway measuring approximately 6'3" x 3'3" on a Mission-style house facade. These homes, inspired by Spanish colonial missions in the American Southwest, blended functionality with ornate motifs like carved shells, scr...
About the Artist
Geoffrey Holt
Geoffrey Holt was born in England on August 18, 1882, and received his artistic training in London and Paris before eventually making his career in the United States. After arriving in America, he lived in Minneapolis, where he worked as an interior designer for the John S. Bradstreet Company—an experience that developed his sensitivity to space, surface, and decorative harmony. By around 1920 he ...