Embroidery From The Index of American Design

Elizabeth Moutal, Embroidery, 1943, 11 x 14.75 in., watercolor and graphite on paper, from the Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art

Of the 18,000+ watercolors in the American Index of Design, some of the most amazing are of textiles and, in this case, embroidery. Index artist Elizabeth Moutal painted stitches and the tacked and fraying hem of what looks like it used to be the upholstered cushion of a little stool or something. Or maybe it’s just where it was pinned down in the making. Beautiful.