Pewter Porringer c. 1936

This meticulous graphite rendering of a pewter porringer was made by Louis Annino, who died in 1995. Although we don’t know precisely when this drawing was executed, we can understand it as a product of a specific institutional context. It was produced as part of the Index of American Design, a project of the Works Progress Administration. This was the largest and most ambitious New Deal arts program, existing between 1935 and 1942. Unemployed artists were hired to produce a visual survey of American material culture. Annino's careful rendering preserves the form of a common household object, a bowl with a handle that was likely used for feeding children or the infirm. The inclusion of precise measurements speaks to the documentary impulse behind the Index of American Design. Historians consult records about the WPA programs to better understand the social and economic conditions that gave rise to this remarkable project. We continue to reflect on the public role of art, and the politics of imagery in times of crisis.