Shelf Clock

Art Historical Context

This delicate rendering of a shelf clock was created around 1939 by artist Lorenz Rothkranz as part of the Index of American Design, a New Deal initiative that employed hundreds of artists to document the nation’s decorative arts. Working under the Works Progress Administration, these illustrators produced precise, colorful records of everyday objects—from furniture and textiles to ceramics and clocks—preserving visual evidence of American craftsmanship at a time when many historic pieces risked being lost or forgotten. Rothkranz employed a sophisticated combination of watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and graphite to capture the clock’s form, surface details, and subtle color variations. This mixed-media approach allowed for both fine line work and rich tonal effects, giving the image a lifelike quality that served the Index’s goal of creating an accurate, educational archive rather than purely artistic interpretations. Today, the work resides in the National Gallery of Art’s collection, where it continues to offer insight into 19th- and early 20th-century American design traditions. Shelf clocks like the one depicted were once common household fixtures, blending utility with modest ornamentation that reflected the tastes of their era.

About the Artist

Lorenz Rothkranz · 1855–present

Lorenz Rothkranz (1898–1970) was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Born on April 10, 1898, in Manhattan, New York, Rothkranz captured the essence of early American folk art and decorative objects through highly detailed watercolor renderings...