Wicker Cradle

Art Historical Context

Discover the delicate charm of *Wicker Cradle*, a captivating rendering created around 1937 by artists Vincent P. Rosel and Gordon Saltar. This mixed-media work on paper—employing watercolor, colored pencil, gouache, pen and ink, and graphite—measures 22.9 x 30.5 cm and meticulously documents a traditional American wicker cradle, originally measuring 37 inches high with hood, 44 inches long, and 23 inches wide. The artists' precise techniques capture the cradle's intricate weave, gentle curves, and functional hood, evoking the tender world of infancy in early American homes. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, this piece reflects a national effort from 1935 to 1942 to celebrate and preserve America's folk art and decorative traditions. IAD artists like Rosel and Saltar produced over 15,000 such detailed watercolors, blending scientific accuracy with artistic flair to record everyday objects before they faded into obscurity. Wicker cradles, often handmade from natural materials, symbolized practical craftsmanship and family life in colonial and 19th-century America. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, *Wicker Cradle* invites us to appreciate how ordinary items embody cultural heritage, reminding visitors of the enduring beauty in humble designs.