Silver Mug c. 1938

Palmyra Pimentel made this drawing of a silver mug, using graphite on paper, sometime between 1855 and 1995. It is part of the Index of American Design. The Index was a New Deal project, created during the Great Depression, under the Works Progress Administration. Unemployed artists were hired to create a visual survey of American decorative and folk arts. In doing so, the Index served a dual purpose: to provide economic relief and to foster a sense of national identity during a time of crisis. Pimentel’s rendering of this quotidian object speaks to the Index’s broader mission. By elevating a simple silver mug to the level of art, the Index sought to valorize the everyday lives and material culture of ordinary Americans. Examining records related to the Index can give us some understanding of how American art was defined during the period.