Stoneware Jar
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, graphite and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 28.2 x 22.8 cm (11 1/8 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 9 1/2" High 7" Dia.
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5031
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate rendering of a *Stoneware Jar* by B. Johnston, created 1937 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, pen-and-ink drawing paper (28.2 x 22.8 cm) meticulously captures a humble folk pottery vessel—originally 9½ inches high and 7 inches in diametercelebrating everyday American craftsmanship from the 19th or early 20th century. Johnston's work emerged from the IAD, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Launched in 1935, the initiative employed artists to document the nat...
About the Artist
Annie B. Johnston
Annie B. Johnston was an American artist active in the late 1930s, recognized for her contributions to the Index of American Design, the New Deal-era federal program that commissioned artists to create meticulous watercolor renderings of American folk and decorative arts objects. Working in watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, and pen and ink on paper, Johnston brought technical precision and sen...