Small Crock
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 37.6 x 30 cm (14 13/16 x 11 13/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 6 5/16" High 4 5/8" Dia(top) 5 3/4" Dia(base)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.7150
Art Historical Context
George Loughridge's *Small Crock* (c. 1938) is a delicate watercolor and graphite rendering on paper, measuring 37.6 x 30 cm. This work captures a modest earthenware vessel—standing just 6 5/16 inches high with a 4 5/8-inch top diameter and 5 3/4-inch base—likely a utilitarian crock from early American folk pottery traditions. Loughridge's precise lines and subtle washes evoke the pot's simple, functional form, highlighting its earthy textures and subtle glazes with meticulous detail. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, this piec...
About the Artist
George Loughridge
George Loughridge was an American artist active during the 1930s, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious New Deal initiative, running from 1935 to 1943, commissioned hundreds of artists across the United States to create meticulously detailed watercolor renderings of everyday American fol...