Witch Lantern
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 35.4 x 25 cm (13 15/16 x 9 13/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 7" high; 6" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12278
Art Historical Context
**Witch Lantern** is a captivating watercolor and graphite rendering by artist Lloyd Charles Lemcke created in 1937. Measuring 35.4 x 25 cm, this work depicts a whimsical folk art object—a small lantern, originally about 7 inches high and 6 inches, adorned with a witch motif. The delicate medium of watercolor and graphite on paper allowed Lemcke to capture intricate details from the lantern's eerie glow to its carved or painted facial features, evoking the playful spookiness of American Halloween traditions. As part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a groundbreaking WPA Federal Art Pro...
About the Artist
Lloyd Charles Lemcke
Lloyd Charles Lemcke was an American artist active around 1935, best known for his contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that aimed to document the nation's folk crafts and vernacular objects through precise artistic renderings. Little is known about Lemcke's early life or formal training, as biographical detai...