Swordfish Weather Vane

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Swordfish Weather Vane a vibrant 1938 rendering by artist Robert Pohle, crafted in watercolor and graphite on paper24.1 x 40.5 cm). This depiction captures the dynamic form of an original folk art weather vane measuring 36 inches high and81 inches long, its sleek swordfish body poised to swivel with the winds, emblematic of America's maritime heritage. Created as part of the Index of American Design—a Federal Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression—Pohle's work documents everyday American craftsmanship from the 18th and 19th centuries. Launched in 1935, the IAD employed artists nationwide to produce precise, colorful illustrations of folk objects, preserving cultural treasures amid economic hardship and fostering national pride in vernacular design. Pohle's meticulous technique blends soft watercolor washes for texture and metallic sheen with graphite for sharp contours, highlighting the vane's whimsical yet functional artistry. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this piece invites us to appreciate how ordinary objects like weather vanes—once atop barns and ships—embody regional ingenuity and the American spirit.

About the Artist

Robert Pohle · 1855–present

Robert Pohle is an artist about whom the available historical record provides limited documentation. His dates and nationality have not been firmly established, and the circumstances of his training and career remain unclear from currently available sources. The works associated with his name suggest a practiced hand, but without reliable biographical anchors it is not possible to place him confid...