Toasting Fork
c. 1936
Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 29.5 x 23.1 cm (11 5/8 x 9 1/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.10301
Art Historical Context
**Toasting Fork**, a meticulous graphite drawing by Anna Alo from around 1936, captures the elegance of an everyday American folk object. Created as part of the Index of Design—a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Project (19351942)—this work exemplifies the era's effort to document and celebrate the nation's rich tradition of craftsmanship amid the Great Depression. Measuring 29.5 x 23.1 cm, the piece now resides in the National Gallery of Art's collection, preserving a slice of vernacular design for future generations. Aloisi's rendering highlights the toasting fork's functional beauty: likely ...
About the Artist
Anna Aloisi
Anna Aloisi is an artist whose biographical details are not well documented in the major art historical literature. No confirmed dates of birth or death have been established, and her nationality, training, and primary working period are not reliably recorded in the sources currently available. She represents one of many artists — and particularly women artists — whose careers were not thoroughly...