F.W. Powell

F.W. Powell was an artist documented as professionally active between 1935 and 1938. Powell’s output is associated with the Index of American Design (IAD), a seminal New Deal initiative dedicated to creating a national archive of American decorative and folk arts. This body of work, classified as "8 index of american designs," comprises detailed, objective studies intended to preserve visual documentation of historic American craftsmanship during the Depression era.

Powell specialized in rendering artifactual studies, focusing particularly on detailed maritime ornamentation and architectural hardware. The National Gallery of Art holds several of these works, establishing the historical significance of the artist's contribution to the IAD project.

Five notable works represented in collections include the Shutter Dog, the Eagle Figurehead, and the Sternboard Eagle. Powell is also credited with documenting important figureheads, specifically the Commodore Morris Figurehead and the Daniel Webster Figurehead. These detailed F.W. Powell prints and drawings are today held to museum-quality standards for their precision and historical value. Due to their documentation status under a federal program, many of these visual records are now widely accessible within the public domain.