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, co...