Fish Weather Vane Rendered by Albert Ryder (artist), c. 1938 watercolor and graphite on paper overall: 29.2 x 44.2 cm (11 1/2 x 17 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 27" long Index of American Design 1943.8.16879 Not on View

From the Tour: Woodcarving from the Index of American Design
Object 19 of 26

The fish, one of the symbols of Christianity, was a form originally used for church weathervanes in Europe and early America. Fish weathervanes later appeared abundantly along the Eastern coast, particularly in New England, as a kind of regional symbol. This example exhibits the simple repetition of pattern -- here, little blocks along the upper and lower contours -- that is a characteristic of folk art.

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