Tea Kettle
c. 1936
Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 29.6 x 22.8 cm (11 5/8 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 7 3/4" high; 9" in diameter
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.14986
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate graphite drawing *Tea Kettle* by Mildred Ford, created around 1936. This precise rendering captures a modest yet American tea kettle, originally measuring 7 3/4 inches high and inches in diameter. Ford's skilled use of graphite on paper—measuring 29.6 x 22.8 cm—highlights the object's graceful curves, functional spout, and sturdy handle, transforming everyday craftsmanship into a work of art. As part of the Index of American Design, a Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (PA) during the Great, this piece belongs to a monumental effort (1935–1942) to documen...
About the Artist
Mildred Ford
Mildred Ford (1895–1988) was an American artist whose career is indelibly linked to the Index of American Design, a monumental Works Progress Administration (WPA) project launched in the 1930s to document the nation's rich heritage of decorative arts and folk objects. Through her precise renderings, Ford helped preserve intricate details of everyday artifacts—from toleware utensils to Pennsylvania...