Albert Camilli

Albert Camilli was an artist and documentarian whose verifiable career activity is concentrated between 1935 and 1937. Camilli’s output is associated primarily with the Index of American Design (IAD), a seminal initiative established under the Federal Art Project during the New Deal era. The IAD employed artists to create detailed, high-quality renderings of historical American material culture, decorative arts, and folk craft objects that spanned the colonial period through the nineteenth century.

Camilli contributed documentation for ten Index items, five of which are specifically represented in major institutional holdings. These drawings and design studies reflect the broad spectrum of objects documented by the Index. Specific works held in museum collections include decorative objects such as a Silver Flagon and Earrings, as well as functional designs like a Cup and Saucer and a Child's Bench. Institutional documentation is also represented by works such as the Bergen Academy Seal.

These contributions establish Camilli as a historical recorder of American design. The documented works are preserved in permanent collections, most notably at the National Gallery of Art. Today, the archival legacy of Albert Camilli prints is an important resource for historians studying American material culture. Because the works were created as part of a federal project, many of these resources are available to the public, facilitating access to high-quality prints of the documentation studies.