Wall Painting
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 25.5 x 27.9 cm (10 1/16 x 11 in.) Original IAD Object: Maximum width of decoration = 8'
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5995
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of American decorative arts with *Wall Painting* by Edward Jewett, created 1939 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This detailed rendering, executed in watercolor, colored pencil, and ink, and graphite on a modest 25.5 x 27.9 cm sheet, captures a traditional wall decoration spanning up to 8 feet in width. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's, it exemplifies the IAD's mission to document and celebrate everyday American craftsmanship. During the Great Depression, the IAD—sponsored by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration—employed...
About the Artist
Edward Jewett
Edward Taylor Jewett (1868–1955) was an American artist whose career bridged traditional academic painting and the documentation of vernacular American crafts. Born on March 28, 1868, in New York, Jewett pursued formal training in the late nineteenth century, studying at the Académie Julian in Paris and later under the portraitist J. Carroll Beckwith in New York City. This rigorous education equip...