Wooden Straight Chair

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Wooden Straight Chair*, a meticulously rendered depiction by artist Wilbur M. Rice around 1938. This vibrant watercolor, colored pencil, gouache, and graphite drawing on paperboard captures the simple elegance of a classic American ladder-back chair, measuring about 32¼ inches high and 15½ inches wide in its original form. Rice's work invites us to appreciate the unadorned beauty of everyday wooden furniture, evoking the sturdy craftsmanship of early American homes. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a landmark WPA Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, this piece belongs to a vast visual archive documenting the nation's folk and decorative arts. During the Great Depression, artists like Rice traveled the country, sketching artifacts to preserve cultural heritage amid economic hardship. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it highlights how ordinary objects embodied regional traditions and self-reliant ingenuity. Rice's masterful use of mixed media brings the chair to life: subtle graphite outlines define its turned spindles and woven seat, while gouache and watercolor add depth and warmth to the wood grain. This technique not only records form and function but celebrates America's design legacy, reminding visitors of the artistry in the commonplace.

About the Artist

Wilbur M Rice · 1909–1974

**Wilbur M. Rice (1909–1974)** was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Active primarily between 1935 and 1942, Rice produced detailed watercolor, gouache, and graphite renderings of everyday American folk objects, tools, toys, and crafts. Thes...