Revolver

Art Historical Context

**Revolver**, created by Rose Campbell-Gerke between 1935 and1942, is a rendering in watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paperboard, 24.6 x 35.4 cm. This work belongs to the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA during the Great Depression. like Campbell-Gerke were commissioned to produce over 15,000 detailed illustrations documenting everyday American objects—from folk art to industrial designs—preserving the nation's cultural heritage amid economic hardship. The IAD's significance lies in its celebration of American craftsmanship, capturing the ingenuity of functional items like this revolver, likely an exemplar of 19th-century firearm design. Campbell-Gerke's technique blends the precision of graphite underdrawing with vibrant watercolors and colored pencil highlights, achieving a lifelike quality that emphasizes texture, form, and historical ornamentation. These renderings were not mere copies but artistic interpretations meant to educate and inspire, bridging fine art with vernacular design. Today, housed in the National Gallery of Art, **Revolver** reminds visitors of America's inventive spirit and the WPA's role in employing artists to safeguard cultural identity. It's a window into a time when art served both documentation and recovery.

About the Artist

Rose Campbell-Gerke · 1879–1964

Rose Campbell-Gerke (born 1882) was a California-born American artist who worked as a watercolorist for the Index of American Design, the New Deal-era federal project that systematically documented American folk and decorative arts. The National Gallery of Art holds sixty-six works by Campbell-Gerke in its collection, making her one of the more prolific individual contributors to the Index. Her bo...