Frank Maurer
Frank Maurer was a documentarian and illustrator whose professional activity is recorded between 1935 and 1938. His entire body of known work is associated with the Index of American Design (IAD), a vital division of the Federal Art Project (FAP) established under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The IAD employed artists to create detailed visual records of American decorative, folk, and utilitarian arts spanning from the colonial era through the nineteenth century. Maurer contributed fifteen documented items to this national index.
Maurer’s output consisted of precise, detailed renderings of historical artifacts, focusing on textiles, domestic objects, and wooden crafts. The works represented in museum collections confirm this focus on material culture, including records of a Burnt Plaque, Crewel embroidery, a Fan, and textile studies such as a Pillow Top and Pin Cushion. These illustrations are essential records that preserve the visual details of historical objects, some of which are no longer extant or accessible.
His documentation efforts established Maurer as a key contributor to the IAD project, providing valuable archival material for American art and history research. Representative works from his output are preserved in major institutions, including the National Gallery of Art. As government-commissioned artwork created during the FAP, much of his material is considered public domain, allowing for widespread access. Detailed Frank Maurer prints and related images are frequently reproduced today as high-quality prints for study and preservation.
