Sugar Jar
c. 1938
Medium
graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 43.5 x 33.9 cm (17 1/8 x 13 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 13" High 9" Dia. 8 1/2 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
1943.8.5037
Art Historical Context
Behold the meticulously rendered *Sugar Jar* by artist Robert Gilson, created around 1938 in graphite on paperboard (43.5 x 33.9 cm). This drawing the graceful form of a humble household object—measuring 13 inches high with a 9-inch diameter and ½-inch base—elevating everyday American craftsmanship into art. As part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, Gilson's work documents the nation's rich decorative arts tradition during the Great Depression. Artists like him produced thousands of precise, watercolor and g...