Salt Shaker
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35 x 24.6 cm (13 3/4 x 9 11/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.10982
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate rendering of a *Salt Shaker* by Wellington Blewett, created between 1935 and 1942 as part of the Index of American Design. This and graphite work on paper, measuring x 24.6 cm, captures the humble elegance of an everyday American household object with meticulous precision. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it exemplifies the project's mission to celebrate the nation's decorative arts through artistically faithful depictions. The Index of American Design was a landmark initiative of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, employing artists...
About the Artist
Wellington Blewett
**Wellington Blewett (1875–1962)** was a Canadian-born American artist renowned for his meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday American folk objects. Active primarily in the late 1930s, Blewett contributed significantly to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that sought to document the nation's vernacular artistic heritage through...