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Home>Exhibitions>2026>Women and the Index of American Design

Women and the Index of American Design

Upcoming Exhibition

January 17 – May 31, 2026
West Building, Ground Floor

Between 1935 and 1942, the US government commissioned over 18,000 watercolors to document works of American folk, decorative, and industrial art. Women played a pivotal role in this effort. Today, the National Gallery cares for this vast collection, known as the Index of American Design.

This special installation includes a selection of watercolors made by women artists for the Index. They captured subjects such as embroideries, quilt designs, toys, weather vanes, and household objects.

Marian Page, Rooster Woodcarving, c. 1940, watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil on paperboard, Index of American Design, 1943.8.8111

Selma Sandler, Rocking Horse, c. 1941, watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard, Index of American Design, 1943.8.17308

Organization
Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Curated by Amy Johnston, associate curator of collections, department of old master drawings, National Gallery of Art. 

Passes
Admission is always free and passes are not required

Banner detail: Left: Marian Page, Rooster Woodcarving, c. 1940, watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil on paperboard, Index of American Design, 1943.8.8111; Right: Selma Sandler, Rocking Horse, c. 1941, watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard, Index of American Design, 1943.8.17308