Shaving Mug
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and heightening on paperboard.
Dimensions
overall: 30.6 x 22.9 cm (12 1/16 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 4 1/8" High
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5198
Art Historical Context
**Shaving Mug** *by Mina Lowry, c. 1936* Step into the intimate world of early 20th-century American grooming with Mina Lowry's exquisite rendering of a *Shaving Mug*. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project from the 1930s, this watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and heightening onboard (30.6 x 22.9 cm) captures a modest 4 1/8-inch-high ceramic vessel with meticulous precision. Lowry's skilled hand brings to life the mug's subtle curves, glossy surface, and functional charm, transforming an everyday object into a celebration of Am...
About the Artist
Mina Lowry
Mina Lowry (1894–1942), an American artist born in Canada, emerged as a prominent portrait painter whose career bridged traditional portraiture and the documentation of American folk art. Immigrating to Buffalo, New York, with her family around 1901, she honed her skills early on, winning first prize for modeling at the Albright Art School and studying under the esteemed Florence J. Bach. Lowry fu...