Floyd R. Sharp

Floyd R. Sharp was an American artist whose active period is documented between 1935 and 1937. Their known body of work consists of specialized renderings created as part of a federally sponsored project dedicated to documenting the history of American material culture and decorative arts.

Operating during the Depression era, Sharp’s detailed output focused on the precise visual recording of historical artifacts, capturing diverse objects from architectural hardware to textile design. This function as a documentarian meant the resulting Floyd R. Sharp prints established a visual index of early American craft.

Seven of these renderings are represented in museum collections, confirming the value of the documentation as a historical resource. The National Gallery of Art holds examples of Sharp’s documented work. These pieces include studies of functional objects such as a Shutter Stay and a Vat, alongside furniture and textile analysis.

Specific renderings recorded by Sharp include detailed views of an Armchair, a Bedspread, and a Log Cabin Quilt. Because of their origin in federal documentation programs, many of these historical records are now classified as public domain, providing access to high-quality prints for researchers and institutions worldwide.