Wrought Iron Railing

Art Historical Context

**Wrought Iron Railing** *Ray Price, c. 1936* Pen and ink and colored pencil on paper, 22.9 x 30.3 cm *Index of American Design, National Gallery of Art* Step into the intricate world of American craftsmanship with Ray Price's *Wrought Iron Railing*, a captivating rendering from the Index of American Design. Created around 1936, this drawing is part of a monumental Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression. Launched in 1935, the Index employed artists across the U.S. to document everyday objects of folk art, decorative arts, and design through precise, colorful illustrations—preserving a vanishing cultural heritage for future generations. Price masterfully employs pen and ink for sharp, delicate lines that evoke the forged textures and scrolls of wrought iron, while colored pencil adds vibrant hues to highlight metallic sheens and ornamental flourishes. At just 9 by nearly 12 inches, the work's intimate scale belies its technical virtuosity, transforming a functional architectural element into a study of artistry and ingenuity. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this piece underscores the Index's legacy: over 15,000 renderings that celebrated regional makers and motifs. It invites us to appreciate the humble elegance of America's vernacular ironwork, a testament to Depression-era creativity and national pride.

About the Artist

Ray Price · 1855–present

Ray Price was an American artist active around 1935, renowned for his meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday American objects and crafts. His oeuvre, comprising 88 works held in the National Gallery of Art collection, captures the functional beauty of vernacular items from the late 1930s through the late 1940s. Little is known about Price's early life or formal training, as biographical deta...