Charles Garjian

Charles Garjian was an artist active during the mid-1930s, documented specifically between 1935 and 1936. His known professional output is intrinsically linked to the Index of American Design, a major federal arts project established during the Great Depression era to survey and record historical American decorative and folk arts. Fifteen works associated with this extensive indexing project are attributed to Garjian.

His renderings document a diverse array of utilitarian and ornamental objects, capturing details of early American craftsmanship. Specific documented works represented in institutional holdings include the subjects of Carved Ornament, a Decoy (Red-Wing Black Bird), an Inkwell, Pa. German Toy Bird, and a Trivet. These artistic studies serve as verifiable records of historical material culture.

Garjian’s contributions to the Index of American Design are preserved in the collections of the National Gallery of Art. The documentation provided by Charles Garjian’s prints is often utilized by researchers studying material culture. Due to their governmental origin, many of these resources are now available in the public domain, often reproduced as high-quality prints for scholarly and public access.