Stump Speaker Bank
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 42.7 x 28.9 cm (16 13/16 x 11 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 10" high; 5" wide; 4" deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16559
Art Historical Context
**Stump Speaker Bank**, a vibrant watercolor, gouache, and graphite rendering by Florian Rokita around 1938, captures the whimsical charm of an American folk art piggy bank. Measuring 42.7 x 28.9 cm, this detailed depiction portrays a novelty coin bank shaped like a political "stump speaker"—a nod to 19th-century campaigners who orated from tree stumps. The original object, standing 10 inches high, 5 inches wide, and 4 inches deep, exemplifies everyday American craftsmanship, likely carved from wood with humorous exaggeration in its design, where the figure's open mouth serves as the coin slot...