Shaker Flax Spinning Wheel
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 26.9 x 22.9 cm (10 9/16 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 35 1/2" high; 26" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.14854
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Shaker Flax Sp Wheel*, a meticulous 1936 watercolor and graphite rendering by artist Lon Cronk, part of the esteemed Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art Measuring 26.9 x 22.9 cm, this work on paper captures a functional artifact originally 35½ inches high and 26 inches wide,oking the Shakers' world of purposeful simplicity. Created during the Great Depression as part of the Federal Art under the Works Progress Administration, the Index of American Design commissioned artists like Cronk to document everyday American crafts through precise, colorful illustrations...
About the Artist
Lon Cronk
Lon Cronk remains one of the more elusive figures in the broader history of art, with biographical records offering little concrete detail about his life, training, or national background. The limited documentation surrounding his career makes it difficult to situate him within a specific movement or tradition, though works attributed to him suggest a practitioner of some technical competence. Wh...