Toleware Tin Box

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Toleware Tin Box a vibrant watercolor, graphite, and gouache by artist Frank Gray, created around 1938. Measuring 38 x 31 cm, this detailed depiction captures a charming original tin box—5 3/8 inches high, 8 7/8 inches long, 4 1/8 inches wide—from America's folk art tradition. Toleware, or painted tinware, emerged in the early 19th century as affordable household wares, often adorned with floral motifs, patriotic symbols, or everyday scenes using japanning techniques borrowed from Asian lacquerwork. This artwork forms part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project und...

About the Artist

Frank Gray

Frank Gray is an artist whose works are held in institutional collections, though comprehensive biographical information — including birth and death dates, nationality, and artistic training — remains difficult to establish from currently available sources. The relative obscurity of his biographical record is not uncommon among artists who worked outside the major metropolitan centers or the most ...