Whirligig
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor, pen and ink, gouache, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.8 x 22.3 cm (11 5/16 x 8 3/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 26 3/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16273
Art Historical Context
**Whirligig** *By Mina Lowry, 193/1942* *Watercolor, pen and ink, gouache, and graphite on paperboard**28.8 × 22.3 cm (11 5/16 × 8 3/4 in.), National Gallery of Art, of American Design* Created by artist Mina Lowry, *Whirligig* is a meticulous rendering of a classic American art wind toy, originally standing 26 3/4 inches high. whimsical whirligigs—often carved wooden figures of soldiers, animals, or farmers that spin and gesture in the breeze—embody the playful ingenuity of rural American craftsmanship from the 18th and 19th centuries. Lowry's depiction captures the object's lively motio...
About the Artist
Mina Lowry
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...