Two Weather Vanes
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 35.4 x 26.1 cm (13 15/16 x 10 1/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 24" long; 12" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16230
Art Historical Context
"Two Weather Vanes," created around 1936 by artist Elmer G. Anderson, is a delicate watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard, measuring 35.4 x 26.1 cm. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this work belongs to the Index of American Design (IAD), a monumental WPA Federal Art Project from the Great Depression era (1935–1942). Anderson meticulously documented two traditional American weather vanes—originally 24 inches long and 12 inches high—capturing their functional beauty as rooftop sentinels that pointed the way of the wind. Weather vanes, a hallmark of early American f...
About the Artist
Elmer G. Anderson
**Elmer G. Anderson** was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project that documented the nation's folk art heritage during the Great Depression. Active primarily in the 1930s, Anderson studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where he earned prestigious Cresson Traveling Scholarsh...