Wax Group (Detail)

Art Historical Context

**Wax Group (Detail)** created by artist Mina Lowry around 1936, is a delicate rendering in watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper, measuring 20.5 x 28.3 cm. This work captures a detailed view of a three-dimensional wax sculpture group—originally 23 inches high, 32½ inches wide, and ½ inches deep—preserving the intricate textures and forms of an American folk art object. Lowry's precise technique highlights the luminous quality of wax, blending soft watercolor washes for depth, graphite for fine lines, and gouache for opaque highlights, evoking the sculptural realism of 19th-century tableaux. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a groundbreaking Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, this piece belongs to a national effort by over 200 artists to document America's decorative arts heritage. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection (Department CG-W), it reflects the era's commitment to celebrating everyday craftsmanship amid the Great Depression, ensuring forgotten folk objects like wax groups—popular in Victorian parlors for their lifelike scenes—endured through artistic interpretation. Lowry's contribution underscores the IAD's cultural significance: bridging fine art and design history, these renderings influenced mid-20th-century appreciation of vernacular creativity, offering visitors a window into America's artistic past.

About the Artist

Mina Lowry · 1894–1942

Mina Lowry (1894–1942), an American artist born in Canada, emerged as a prominent portrait painter whose career bridged traditional portraiture and the documentation of American folk art. Immigrating to Buffalo, New York, with her family around 1901, she honed her skills early on, winning first prize for modeling at the Albright Art School and studying under the esteemed Florence J. Bach. Lowry fu...