Alice Stearns

Alice Stearns was an artist whose documented activity spans the years 1936 to 1938. Her entire known output is comprised of work created for the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project established during the Depression era to create a comprehensive visual archive of American material culture and decorative arts.

Stearns specialized in producing precise, detailed renderings of historical domestic objects and textiles, focusing heavily on Shaker design. The fifteen works attributed to her in museum collections function primarily as historical documentation. This body of work includes detailed studies of period clothing and furnishings, such as Shaker Bonnet, Shaker Chair Seat Covering, Shaker Infirmary Cap, Shaker Man's Sock, and Shaker Man's Trousers. These accurate depictions were vital to preserving the history of American folk art and craftsmanship.

The significance of Stearns’s contribution to the IAD is affirmed by the inclusion of her work in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. Because her original documents are held in major institutions, Alice Stearns prints and high-quality prints made from her Index of American Design contributions are often sought after for research purposes. Much of the photographic documentation derived from the Index is now considered public domain and is available globally for educational use.