Trail Board c. 1936

Elizabeth Moutal created this Trail Board in the early to mid-twentieth century. Moutal was among a cadre of women artists who were commissioned to create renderings of objects for the Index of American Design, a project of the WPA. Here, we see a watercolor rendering of a carved and painted wooden trail board, nearly six feet long. Its form undulates with the curve of a leaping cheetah, its body elongated, each muscle defined. Note the sharp contrast between the cheetah and the dark background, and the leaves and branches at the cheetah's head, suggestive of an exotic locale. What might this image mean in the context of the WPA and the American imagination during the Depression? Was the inclusion of this object intended to provide a sense of escape from the hardships of the time, conjuring images of faraway places? Or perhaps it was a reminder of the cultural diversity that has always been part of the American fabric?