Rush Bottom Chair
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 27.8 x 22.8 cm (10 15/16 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: none given
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.4608
Art Historical Context
Henry Meyers' *Rush Bottom Chair* (c. 1937) is a meticulous rendering of a classic piece of American folk furniture, in watercolor, colored pencil, and on paperboard. Measuring just under 11 by 9 inches, this study showcases the chair's sturdy wooden frame and intricately woven rush seat—a natural material derived from wetland plants, prized for its durability and breathability in everyday colonial and early American homes. Created as part of the Index of American Design, a Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, the artwork reflects a national effort to document and celebr...
About the Artist
Henry Meyers
Henry Meyers was an American artist active during the 1930s and early 1940s, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a monumental Works Progress Administration (WPA) project that sought to document the nation's rich heritage of folk art, crafts, and decorative objects. Operating under the Federal Art Project, Meyers produced precise, watercolor and graphite renderings of ...