Soap Stone Stove
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 49.6 x 49.5 cm (19 1/2 x 19 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: 15" highl 16" wide; 20" deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.14912
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Soap Stone Stove*, meticulously rendered depiction from around 1940 by artists Raymond Neumann and Paul Poffinbarger. This square-format work (49.6 x 49.5 cm) combines watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper to capture the elegant simplicity of an early American heating device. The original soapstone stove, measuring 15 inches high, 16 inches wide, and 20 inches deep, exemplifies practical folk design, prized for its ability to retain heat long after the fire died down—ideal for colonial homes where efficiency was essential. Created as part of the Index of American Design (...