Salem Chair
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and colored pencil on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35 x 24.2 cm (13 3/4 x 9 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: 38" x 21" x 16"
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.4199
Art Historical Context
The Salem Chair, rendered in 1937 by William Kieckhofel, is a meticulous watercolor and colored-pencil drawing created for the Index of American Design. This federal project, part of the Works Progress Administration, employed hundreds of artists to document historic American decorative arts before they disappeared. Kieckhofel’s careful study captures an 18th-century side chair originally measuring 38 by 21 by 16 inches, preserving its graceful lines and proportions for future generations. The choice of watercolor and colored pencil allowed the artist to record both the chair’s form and its s...
About the Artist
William Kieckhofel
William Kieckhofel was an American artist active in the 1930s and early 1940s, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, the ambitious New Deal-era documentation project administered under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. Working in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper, Kieckhofel produced meticulous renderings of American decorativ...