Settee
c. 1936
Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 21.4 x 28.1 cm (8 7/16 x 11 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 50 3/4"high; 61 3/4"wide; 15 3/4"deep at seat.
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5433
Art Historical Context
Harry Eisman's *Settee* (c. 1936) is a precise graphite drawing on paper, capturing the elegant lines of an American sofa from the Index of American Design collection at the National Gallery of Art. Measuring 21.4 x 28.1 cm, this detailed rendering depicts a piece originally 50 3/4 inches high, 61 3/4 inches wide, and 3/4 inches deep at the seat—a comfortable, upholstered form likely reflecting early 20th-century domestic furniture styles. Created as part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, the Index of American Design employe...
About the Artist
Harry Eisman
Harry Eisman is an artist about whom the historical record remains sparse, and reliable details regarding his dates, nationality, and training have not been firmly established in available scholarship. The works associated with his name suggest engagement with the graphic arts or printmaking traditions, though the full scope of his career and artistic interests is difficult to characterize without...