Wooden Mantel Ornament
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gold ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 35.5 x 27.9 cm (14 x 11 in.) Original IAD Object: 14 3/8" high; 4 1/2" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.12624
Art Historical Context
Created around 1936 artist J. Howard I, *Wooden Mantelnament* is a meticulous from the Index of American, a New Deal-era project that celebrated everyday American craftsmanship. This watercolor, graphite, and gold depiction on paperboard (35.5 x 27.9 cm) a delicate wooden ornament originally measuring 14 3/8 inches high and 4 1/2 inches wide, likely for a mantelpiece in a home setting. Iams' precise draftsmanship highlights the ornament's intricate carving and form, evoking the folk art traditions of early American decorative objects. As part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progres...
About the Artist
J. Howard Iams
John Howard Iams (1897–1964) was an American artist and self-described artist-historian whose passion for the regional past of southwestern Pennsylvania shaped one of the most distinctive careers to emerge from the Federal Art Project era. Born in Amwell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Iams grew up in the North Ten Mile region near the border of Greene County, a landscape steeped in col...