Shaving Mug

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 American craftsmanship. The IAD, launched amid the Great Depression, employed artists like Lowry to document folk art and design through over 18,000 detailed plates, preserving cultural heritage at risk of being lost. Shaving mugs, often personalized with decals or engravings for barbershops or home use, symbolized Victorian-era masculinity and community rituals. Lowry's mixed-media technique—layering translucent watercolors over graphite sketches, accented with colored pencil and white heightening for luminosity—highlights textures and reflections, making the ordinary extraordinary. Today, housed in the National Gallery of Art, this work invites us to appreciate the artistry in the commonplace, reminding visitors of America's rich decorative traditions and the vital role of public art projects in safeguarding history.

About the Artist

Mina Lowry · 1894–1942

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...