Sauce Pan

Art Historical Context

In the late 1930s, as part of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, artist Roy Weber contributed to the *Index of American Design*—a monumental effort to document and celebrate everyday American crafts and folk art. Created around 1938, *Sauce Pan* is a precise graphite rendering on paperboard of a modest yet functional kitchen vessel, measuring about 10 inches high and 7 inches wide its original form. This drawing, now housed at the National Gallery of Art (23.1 x 35 cm), captures the object's simple, utilitarian form with meticulous detail, highlighting the ingenuity of American domestic design from earlier centuries. Weber's technique exemplifies the Index's goal: to elevate humble artifacts through accurate, artistic reproduction. Using graphite, he rendered the pan's curves, handle, and subtle textures with a draftsman's precision, evoking the craftsmanship of colonial or early industrial eras. These works weren't mere copies but interpretive studies that preserved cultural heritage during the Great Depression, fostering national pride in vernacular objects. Today, *Sauce Pan* reminds us how ordinary tools embody history—tools that fed families and shaped daily life. As part of the Index's vast archive, it underscores America's rich tradition of practical artistry, inviting visitors to appreciate the beauty in the everyday.

About the Artist

Roy Weber · 1855–present

**Roy Weber** was an American artist active circa 1935, best known for his precise watercolor and graphite renderings created as part of the Index of American Design. This ambitious Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression sought to document and preserve America’s folk and decorative arts through detailed illustrations. Weber produced at least 22 such works, now in ...