Jean Gordon

Jean Gordon secured her definitive place in American art history through her critical involvement with the Index of American Design (IAD), a monumental initiative of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project. Active primarily between 1935 and 1940, during the critical years of the Great Depression, Gordon was among the hundreds of artists employed to systematically document the nation’s heritage in decorative and folk arts. This initiative aimed to create a comprehensive visual archive of American artifacts from the colonial era through the nineteenth century, preserving designs for future manufacturers, students, and historians. Her collective contribution, documented as 8 Index of American Designs, reflects the immense scope and meticulous detail required for this expansive historical endeavor.

Gordon’s assignments required versatility and technical precision. Her focus frequently centered on the history of textiles and fashion, evidenced by multiple entries titled Dress. These detailed renderings demanded careful delineation of stitching, fabric texture, and the nuances of period silhouette, providing invaluable insight into material culture that traditional photography often failed to capture. Beyond the study of historic garments, she contributed specific genre studies, such as Card Counters, providing a glimpse into period social life or the precise form of interior design objects. These illustrations were created predominantly in watercolor, tempera, or graphite, functioning not as original fine art but as exacting, museum-quality documents designed to faithfully capture the craftsmanship of early American artisans.

The sheer quality and volume of documentation generated by Gordon and her IAD peers ensured a unique legacy for this Depression-era undertaking. When the IAD was formally dissolved, the entire national archive, including Gordon’s precise renderings, was transferred to the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it remains a central scholarly resource for American studies. While historical records list many notable individuals sharing her name, this Jean Gordon’s lasting artistic contribution is unequivocally defined by these specific records. It is perhaps one of the great quiet ironies of the Index that the very artists dedicated to preserving the anonymity of early American artisans often remain relatively unsung themselves. Today, many of these important historic documents are available as downloadable artwork through the public domain, ensuring their continued research value and allowing high-quality prints of her meticulous work to reach wider audiences.