Weather Vane
c. 1937
Imagine a barn roof in the 1930s, topped by this elegant iron horse catching the wind. Edward L. Loper captured this weather vane design in 1937 with the precision of an architect, detailing the twisted shaft, the central orb, and the spiky finial. A tiny diagram in the corner reveals the real object was about three feet wide. This illustration is a beautiful example of design documentation, likely from the Index of American Design project which employed artists to record American folk art before it disappeared.