Whirligig
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28.7 x 22.1 cm (11 5/16 x 8 11/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 30" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16277
Art Historical Context
**Whirligig *Artist: Mina Lowry, c. 1937* *color, pen and ink, and graphite on paper, 28.7 x 22.1 cm (11 5/16 x 8 11/16 in.)* *Index of American Design, National of Art* Created by artist Mina Lowry around 1937, *Whirligig* is meticulous rendering from the Index of American Design, a Deal-era Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Launched in the 1930s, this ambitious initiative employed artists to document everyday American folk art objects through detailed watercolor studies, preserving cultural heritage amid the Great Depression. Lowry's depiction captures...
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...