Index of American Design

E3901

The Index of American Design was a New Deal–era visual archive project that documented traditional American decorative, folk, and utilitarian arts through thousands of detailed watercolor renderings.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf New Deal art project
documentary art project
visual archive
aim to create a visual archive of American material culture
to document traditional American decorative, folk, and utilitarian arts
to support artists during the Great Depression
alsoKnownAs Index of American Design and History
collectionHeldBy National Gallery of Art
Smithsonian American Art Museum
commissionedBy United States government
country United States
dissolved 1942
employed American artists
illustrators
focusesOnPeriod 17th century
18th century
19th century
genre documentary art
hasPart drawings
watercolor renderings
historicalContext Great Depression
inception 1935
influenced scholarship on American decorative arts
study of American folk art
language English
location United States
mainSubject American decorative arts
American folk art
American utilitarian arts
traditional American crafts
medium gouache
watercolor
movement New Deal arts programs
numberOfWorks approximately 18000 watercolor drawings
over 18000
partOf Federal Art Project
Works Progress Administration
sponsor Federal Art Project
workTypeDocumented ceramics
folk sculpture
furniture
glassware
metalwork
quilts
signs
textiles
toys
weathervanes

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Index of American Design ("Index of American Design and History")
alsoKnownAs
Federal Art Project
hasPart

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