James Fisher

James Fisher was a documentarian and artist whose documented career spanned the period between 1935 and 1942. His activity places him squarely within the era of the New Deal Federal Art Project, where he contributed specialized renderings to the Index of American Design, a national effort to document historical decorative arts, furniture, and folk traditions.

Fisher’s known body of work consists of detailed, technical illustrations and prints that capture the specific form and decoration of early Americana objects. Five such works are represented in museum collections. These renderings document various forms of domestic furniture and clocks, including the Shelf Clock, Grandfather Clock, and several seating objects, such as the Rocking Chair, Decorated Child's Rocking Chair, and Chair (Samuel Chase).

Fisher's contribution to this significant documentation initiative is verified by the inclusion of his archival prints in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Because documentation projects of this nature often enter the public domain, the detailed drawings by James Fisher are widely accessible today. These historical renderings are frequently reproduced as high-quality prints, providing historians and enthusiasts with detailed visual records of 18th and 19th-century American craftsmanship.