Eleanor Gausser

Eleanor Gausser was active as an artist and documentarian between 1935 and 1939. Their verifiable output is intrinsically linked to the Index of American Design, a landmark federal project aimed at recording the history and development of American decorative and folk arts.

Gausser’s contributions to the Index focused primarily on rendering historical textiles, ceramics, and small functional objects. Thirteen works attributed to Gausser are currently represented in museum collections, documenting a range of domestic artifacts. These works include detailed plates illustrating items such as Baby's Bib, Cape, Crock, Girl's Pinafore, and a Jewel Box. The preservation of these pieces in the permanent holdings of the National Gallery of Art establishes the historical significance and museum-quality status of this documentation project.

Today, much of Gausser’s output from the Index of American Design is available in the public domain. Eleanor Gausser prints and drawings derived from the original plates remain an essential resource for researchers studying mid-20th century federal arts initiatives and the history of American craft.