Vinegar Cruet
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and goauche on paper
Dimensions
overall: 30.1 x 22.9 cm (11 7/8 x 9 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.11158
Art Historical Context
Dorothy Posten's *Vinegar Cruet* (c. 1936) is a delicate yet precise rendering of an everyday American household object, captured through watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper. Measuring 30.1 x 22.9 cm, this work exemplifies the meticulous technique favored by artists in the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Posten, one of many talented women artists employed during the Great Depression, used graphite for fine outlines, translucent watercolors for subtle shading, and opaque gouache for vibrant highlights, creating a lifeli...
About the Artist
Dorothy Posten
Dorothy Posten was an American artist active during the mid-1930s, best known for her meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Launched in 1935, this ambitious endeavor employed artists across the United States to document the nation's folk art, crafts, and decorative traditions through detailed render...