Windsor Fan-back Chair c. 1938

Vincent Rosel made this watercolor of a Windsor Fan-back Chair, part of the Index of American Design, a WPA program. It asks us to consider the public role of art in the midst of the Great Depression. The Index, active in the United States from 1935 to 1942, employed artists to create a visual survey of American decorative and folk arts. Its aim was to document and celebrate the nation's artistic heritage, and to promote regional styles. The choice of a common chair reflects this democratic impulse. Mass produced yet handcrafted. This image participates in a larger cultural narrative about American identity, one that values simplicity, functionality, and local craftsmanship. Analyzing the IAD and its output reveals the social conditions that shape artistic production, and ultimately asks us to reflect on the politics of imagery during times of crisis. Consulting WPA archives and period scholarship can illuminate the Index's complex legacy.