Elmer Weise

Elmer Weise was active during a concentrated period between 1935 and 1937, working primarily on documentation associated with the Index of American Design (IAD). The IAD was a Federal Art Project established during the Depression era to systematically record and preserve the visual record of historic American decorative, folk, and utilitarian arts.

Weise's surviving output reflects the project’s goal of documenting the nation’s material culture. The artist produced detailed renderings of diverse artifacts ranging from domestic objects to folk toys. Fifteen works represented in major collections are attributed to Weise, documenting items such as the Toy Goat Cart and the Wooden Dipper. Other documented objects include specific examples of traditional puppetry, notably the illustrations of the "Baby" Hand Puppet and Hand Puppet - Policeman, alongside functional items like Cow Bell, #1.

Today, Elmer Weise prints and original documentation related to the Index of American Design are preserved within the archives of the National Gallery of Art. Because these works originated through a federal commission, the renderings are often categorized within the public domain, making high-quality prints and downloadable artwork widely available for historical study.