Trunk

Art Historical Context

**Trunk** by Ferdinand Cartier (c. 1936) captures the charm of an everyday American artifact—a sturdy trunk measuring 28 inches long and 18 inches high— meticulous watercolor, graphite, and gou on paperboard (29.9 x 22.9 cm). Part of the National Gallery of's collection, this piece belongs to the Index of Design, a landmark WPA Federal Art Project from the Great Depression era (1935–1942)., one of over 200 artists involved, rendered folk art objects with photographic precision to preserve vanishing examples of American craftsmanship. The Index celebrated utilitarian designs like this trunk, likely a 19th-century travel or storage piece adorned with decorative motifs reflecting regional traditions. By documenting such items, the project highlighted America's cultural heritage, blending European influences with homegrown ingenuity amid economic hardship. Cartier's hybrid technique—graphite for fine lines, watercolor and gouache for vibrant color and texture—allowed lifelike detail, making the ordinary extraordinary. Today, **Trunk** invites us to appreciate how design wove into daily life, safeguarding stories of migration, trade, and resilience for future generations. A testament to New Deal creativity, it reminds us that art can both record and revive history.

About the Artist

Ferdinand Cartier · 1892–1987

Ferdinand Cartier is an artist whose historical record remains limited. No confirmed birth or death dates have been established, and his national origin and training background are not documented in surviving sources, making it difficult to place him within any specific artistic tradition or school. Cartier's presence in museum collections, with close to fifty works attributed to him, points to a...