Whirligig
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 48 x 33.5 cm (18 7/8 x 13 3/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 18 1/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16306
Art Historical Context
**Whirligig** by Selma Sandler, created around 1939, is a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard from the Index of American Design (IAD). This ambitious WPA Federal Art Project, launched during the Great Depression, employed artists across the U.S. to meticulously document everyday examples of American folk art and. Sandler's precise depiction preserves a traditional whirligig—a, wind-powered wooden toy or garden ornament featuring spinning figures, emblematic of rural ingenuity and19th-century vernacular design. Measuring 48 x 33.5 cm overall, it faithfully scales the ori...