Water Cooler
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 50.7 x 38.1 cm (19 15/16 x 15 in.) Original IAD Object: 17 3/4" High 7 7/8" Dia.(top) 10 1/8" Dia.(base)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5081
Art Historical Context
"Water Cooler," a captivating rendering by artist John Tarantino circa 1940, is a gem from the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark WPA Federal Art Project from the Great Depression era. Launched in 1935, the IAD commissioned artists across the U.S. to document everyday American folk art and decorative objects through meticulous watercolor studies. Tarantino's depiction preserves a humble yet elegant water cooler—likely a 19th-century ceramic vessel with a flared base (10 1/8 inches diameter) tapering to a narrower top (7 7/8 inches) and standing 17 3/4 inches high—celebrating the ingenu...
About the Artist
John Tarantino
John Tarantino was an American artist active from around 1935 to 1953, best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This ambitious initiative commissioned artists across the United States to create precise renderings of everyday folk art objects, preserving the nation's vernacular design heritage a...