Shaker Rocking Chair
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 36.5 x 30.4 cm (14 3/8 x 11 15/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16630
Art Historical Context
Behold the elegant simplicity of *Shaker Rocking Chair*, a meticulously rendered depiction by artist Lon Cronk around 1938. Created as part of the Federal Art Project's Index of American Design—a WPA initiative during the Great Depression—this watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite drawing on paper (36.5 x 30.4 cm) preserves the essence of Shaker craftsmanship. The Index employed over 400 artists to document thousands of everyday American objects, safeguarding cultural heritage amid economic hardship and highlighting the nation's folk art traditions. Shaker furniture, born from the United Soci...
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...