*Excerpt taken from the National Gallery of Art - NGA.gov
Created in 1935, the Index of American Design (Index) was a Federal Art Project (FAP) program under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Index project had three objectives: to employ and maintain the skills of unemployed artists during the depression years; to preserve America’s artistic and cultural heritage by documenting the development of arts and crafts across the country; and to create a series of portfolios from the Index watercolor renderings that would serve as a permanent guide for artists, scholars, and the public.
The initial idea for the Index project began with discussions between Romana Javitz, head of the New York Public Library’s Picture Collection, and artists who were conducting research in the collection for WPA projects. Ruth Reeves, a textile designer and painter, was especially interested in the idea and proposed it to Frances Pollak, head of Educational Projects for the New York City Emergency Relief Administration. Pollak agreed that the project would be a productive way to provide work relief to commercial artists and asked Reeves to formulate a plan. In August of 1935, Reeves presented a draft of the proposed project to the Federal Art Project national staff in Washington, DC.
A pilot project began in New York City shortly after the Washington presentation. In December 1935, the Index of American Design was organized as a nationwide project. Although its administration was centralized in Washington, DC, the national project was highly decentralized, operating in thirty-seven units in thirty-four states and the District of Columbia. California and New York each had two units. Holger Cahill was appointed the national director and Constance Rourke served as national editor. Ruth Reeves became the national coordinator and was succeeded by C. Adolph Glassgold in 1936 and Benjamin Knotts in 1940. A small research staff was established in Washington, DC to supplement a larger and existing research staff in New York City.
Since state program units could only be created where large numbers of unemployed artists needed work relief, not all states had an Index program. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia had Index program units: Alabama, Arizona, California (Northern), California (Southern), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The Index project primarily recorded American traditional, decorative, popular, and folk art of peoples of European descent from the 17th through the 19th century. Some units, however, included other cultures in their documentation, such as Spanish missions in Southern California and Shaker communities in Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, and New Hampshire.
The units in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, especially New York City and Massachusetts, produced many renderings and conducted extensive research. The New York City project was the largest unit and had access to the greatest variety of decorative arts in museums and private collections in its surrounding area.
In January 1936, participating units received a preliminary Index manual outlining the objectives and execution of the project. Romana Javitz and Phyllis Crawford, research director of the New York City project, drew up the research method of documentation guidelines. Units also received a supplementary bulletin with instructions on rendering techniques based on the teachings of Suzanne Chapman, an artist on the Massachusetts Index project. Individual units were responsible for researching and selecting objects under the guidelines as well as for employing qualified artists to produce the meticulous watercolor sketches and renderings of the objects.
The Index project carried out its activities for over seven years, employing close to 1,200 artists and producing more than 18,000 watercolor renderings. Before publication of the renderings was realized, the project ended abruptly in March 1942 shortly after the United States entered World War II.
When the project closed, the Federal Works Agency, the oversight agency of the WPA, transferred the Index renderings and the New York City project files to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York. From 1942 to 1943, the museum managed the Index records for the federal government. During this period, The Met also mounted exhibitions of the renderings in its own galleries, organized twelve traveling exhibitions around the United States, and published several booklets on the Index.
In July 1943, the Federal Works Agency designated the National Gallery of Art, then a little more than two years old, as the permanent repository for the Index materials. When the collection arrived at the museum in early 1944, it was placed under the supervision of assistant director Macgill James. On July 1, 1945, an office was created to oversee the Index renderings and files under Erwin O. Christensen and two assistants. Christensen continued his work as the curator of the Index until 1960. During this period, the Index renderings were exhibited regularly at the National Gallery, throughout the United States, and at a few international venues.
In 1984, the Gallery Archives, a newly created department tasked with maintaining and preserving the permanently valuable records of the institution, assumed management of the Index files. The watercolor renderings remain in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art within the Modern Prints and Drawings department.
The initial idea for the Index project began with discussions between Romana Javitz, head of the New York Public Library’s Picture Collection, and artists who were conducting research in the collection for WPA projects. Ruth Reeves, a textile designer and painter, was especially interested in the idea and proposed it to Frances Pollak, head of Educational Projects for the New York City Emergency Relief Administration. Pollak agreed that the project would be a productive way to provide work relief to commercial artists and asked Reeves to formulate a plan. In August of 1935, Reeves presented a draft of the proposed project to the Federal Art Project national staff in Washington, DC.
A pilot project began in New York City shortly after the Washington presentation. In December 1935, the Index of American Design was organized as a nationwide project. Although its administration was centralized in Washington, DC, the national project was highly decentralized, operating in thirty-seven units in thirty-four states and the District of Columbia. California and New York each had two units. Holger Cahill was appointed the national director and Constance Rourke served as national editor. Ruth Reeves became the national coordinator and was succeeded by C. Adolph Glassgold in 1936 and Benjamin Knotts in 1940. A small research staff was established in Washington, DC to supplement a larger and existing research staff in New York City.
Since state program units could only be created where large numbers of unemployed artists needed work relief, not all states had an Index program. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia had Index program units: Alabama, Arizona, California (Northern), California (Southern), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The Index project primarily recorded American traditional, decorative, popular, and folk art of peoples of European descent from the 17th through the 19th century. Some units, however, included other cultures in their documentation, such as Spanish missions in Southern California and Shaker communities in Massachusetts, New York, Kentucky, and New Hampshire.
The units in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, especially New York City and Massachusetts, produced many renderings and conducted extensive research. The New York City project was the largest unit and had access to the greatest variety of decorative arts in museums and private collections in its surrounding area.
In January 1936, participating units received a preliminary Index manual outlining the objectives and execution of the project. Romana Javitz and Phyllis Crawford, research director of the New York City project, drew up the research method of documentation guidelines. Units also received a supplementary bulletin with instructions on rendering techniques based on the teachings of Suzanne Chapman, an artist on the Massachusetts Index project. Individual units were responsible for researching and selecting objects under the guidelines as well as for employing qualified artists to produce the meticulous watercolor sketches and renderings of the objects.
The Index project carried out its activities for over seven years, employing close to 1,200 artists and producing more than 18,000 watercolor renderings. Before publication of the renderings was realized, the project ended abruptly in March 1942 shortly after the United States entered World War II.
When the project closed, the Federal Works Agency, the oversight agency of the WPA, transferred the Index renderings and the New York City project files to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York. From 1942 to 1943, the museum managed the Index records for the federal government. During this period, The Met also mounted exhibitions of the renderings in its own galleries, organized twelve traveling exhibitions around the United States, and published several booklets on the Index.
In July 1943, the Federal Works Agency designated the National Gallery of Art, then a little more than two years old, as the permanent repository for the Index materials. When the collection arrived at the museum in early 1944, it was placed under the supervision of assistant director Macgill James. On July 1, 1945, an office was created to oversee the Index renderings and files under Erwin O. Christensen and two assistants. Christensen continued his work as the curator of the Index until 1960. During this period, the Index renderings were exhibited regularly at the National Gallery, throughout the United States, and at a few international venues.
In 1984, the Gallery Archives, a newly created department tasked with maintaining and preserving the permanently valuable records of the institution, assumed management of the Index files. The watercolor renderings remain in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art within the Modern Prints and Drawings department.