Lamp c. 1939

This is Charlotte Winter’s ‘Lamp,’ a watercolor rendering of an everyday object. Winter was part of the Index of American Design, a WPA initiative during the New Deal era. The Index sought to document and celebrate American folk art and design. Artists like Winter were employed to create detailed illustrations of objects, reflecting an effort to define and preserve a national cultural identity amidst economic hardship. In a time of great social upheaval, there was an urgency in affirming American traditions and values. Winter's lamp evokes a sense of nostalgia, connecting us to a simpler, pre-industrial past. It speaks to the resourcefulness and ingenuity of early American craftsmanship, yet its existence as a design object also raises questions about the relationship between art, labor, and cultural heritage during the Great Depression. It invites us to reflect on how we construct and commemorate our collective history.