Roach Trap

Art Historical Context

**Roach Trap**, a meticulous watercolor and graphite rendering byande Delasser around 1936, captures the ingenuity of an everyday American folk object. Measuring 28.1 x 23.1 cm overall, this work documents a small roach traporiginally just 3 5/8 inches high and 1/8 inches in diameter—highlighting practical designs from America's past. Delasser's precise technique blends soft watercolor washes for texture and form with fine graphite lines for intricate details, bringing a utilitarian item to life with artistic elegance. Created as part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression, this piece reflects a national effort to celebrate and preserve U.S. cultural heritage. From 1935 to 1942, over 18,000 such renderings by artists like Delasser documented folk art, crafts, and designs, safeguarding objects that embodied American creativity amid economic hardship. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CG-W department, it underscores the IAD's role in valuing the vernacular. Today, *Roach Trap* reminds us of resourceful household solutions—simple yet clever pest control devices rooted in early 20th-century life. Its inclusion in the IAD elevates the ordinary, inviting visitors to appreciate how everyday innovations shaped American identity.

About the Artist

Yolande Delasser · 1855–present

Yolande Delasser was an American artist active during the mid-1930s, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Amid the Great Depression, this ambitious New Deal initiative commissioned artists to document America's rich heritage of folk art and utilitarian objects through precise watercolor ren...