"The Doctor" Marionette
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 50.9 x 38.3 cm (20 1/16 x 15 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 20 3/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15698
Art Historical Context
Welcome visitors to this captivating piece from the National Gallery of's Index of American Design collection:The Doctor" Marionette by Ruth Abrams, created 1937. This watercolor and graphite on paperboard (50.9 x 38.3 cm) vividly captures a charming folk marionette puppet, standing about 20 3/4 inches tall in its original form. Abrams skillfully depicts the figure's whimsical details—from its articulated limbs to its expressive face—evoking the playful world of American puppetry traditions. As part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depr...