George Fairbanks

George Fairbanks was a documentary artist active during the mid-1930s, contributing significantly to the Index of American Design (IAD). This ambitious project, initiated under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project, sought to document and preserve a comprehensive visual record of historic American decorative arts, folk art, and material culture prior to 1900. Fairbanks’s active period spanned from 1935 to 1937, coinciding with the peak operational years of the IAD.

Fairbanks is represented by fourteen recorded designs held in museum collections. His contributions are characteristic of the IAD output: precise, detailed renderings of functional objects that blend archival accuracy with artistic execution. These works serve as crucial historical reference points for early American craftsmanship.

Specific objects documented by Fairbanks include the China Cupboard, the Carbine Gun, the Chair, and multiple studies of a Corner Cupboard. These renderings are preserved in major institutional holdings, establishing credibility through their inclusion in the collections of the National Gallery of Art. The George Fairbanks prints and documentary drawings remain valuable resources for historians.

As works created under the federally sponsored WPA, many of these IAD studies are now in the public domain. This accessibility allows for the wide distribution of high-quality prints, ensuring that these visual records of American history are available for scholarship and appreciation.