Tubular Hand Lamp
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 36.8 x 28 cm (14 1/2 x 11 in.) Original IAD Object: 8 7/8" high; 5" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12567
Art Historical Context
Step into the illuminating world of American design with *Tubular Hand Lamp*, a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering by John H. Tercuzzi, around 1940. This precise depiction captures a compact, portable lamp—originally measuring just 8 7/8 inches high 5 inches wide—casing its sleek tubular form, likely a testament to early 20th ingenuity in everyday lighting. Rendered on paperboard at 36.8 x 28 cm, Tercuzzi's work highlights the lamp's functional elegance through delicate washes of color and fine graphite lines, evoking the glow of a bygone era. As part of the Index of American Desig...
About the Artist
John H. Tercuzzi
John H. Tercuzzi was an American artist active during the late 1930s and early 1940s, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious endeavor commissioned artists to document everyday American objects—from folk crafts and tools to decorative household items—through meticulous watercolo...