Shaker Stove/Built-in Closet
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 27.8 x 20.6 cm (10 15/16 x 8 1/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 68" high; 17" wide (closet)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13677
Art Historical Context
In the late 1930s, as part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA), artist John W.elleher created this meticulous rendering of a Shaker stove and built closet. Titled *Shaker Stove/Built-inet* (c. 1938), the watercolor, graphite, and gou on paper measures 27.8 x 20.6 cm and captures the essence of Shaker craftsmanship from their communal settlements in America. The original object—a tall, narrow closet standing 68 inches high and 17 inches wide—exemplifies the Shakers' philosophy of simplicity, utility, and unadorned beauty. This artwork belongs to the Index o...
About the Artist
John W. Kelleher
John W. Kelleher was an American artist active from around 1935 to 1953, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project that commissioned artists to create precise watercolor renderings of everyday American folk art, crafts, and decorative objects. Little is known about Kelleher's early life or formal training, as biograp...