Pewter Sugar Bowl 1935 - 1942

This is Samuel O. Klein's pencil on paper drawing of a pewter sugar bowl. Klein, who lived from 1906 to 1991, created this piece as part of the Index of American Design, a WPA program during the Great Depression. Consider the context: the Depression, a time of immense economic hardship, shaped what was valued. Everyday objects, like this sugar bowl, took on new significance as symbols of American resilience and resourcefulness. The detailed rendering elevates this functional item, transforming the mundane into something worthy of artistic attention. The sugar bowl itself speaks to an earlier era of domesticity and social rituals, a time when sharing sugar from a communal bowl signified hospitality and community. But who was invited to partake in that sweetness, and who was excluded? As you look, think about how even simple objects can carry the weight of history and social dynamics.