Ardella Watkins

Ardella Watkins was an American artist active primarily during the period spanning 1935 to 1942. Watkins’s documented career is intrinsically linked to the Index of American Design (IAD), a pivotal New Deal-era Federal Art Project established to record and preserve American material culture and decorative arts heritage through detailed renderings.

The IAD documentation required precise, objective artistic skill to create exact visual records of historical objects, encompassing furniture, textiles, tools, and everyday utilitarian items. Eight Index of American Designs by Ardella Watkins are represented in major institutional holdings. These works provide vital scholarly insight into early American craft and design. Specific documented examples of the artist’s output include meticulous renderings of functional pieces, such as the Waffle Iron, the Churn, the Match Box, the Pewter Tobacco Jar, and the Sugar Bucket.

The importance of Watkins’s output is confirmed by its preservation in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., where the majority of the original IAD works reside. Due to their governmental origins, these documents are frequently available as downloadable artwork, allowing researchers and the public access to high-quality prints of the designs.