Jean Peszel

Jean Peszel was active in the mid-1930s, documenting American material culture between 1935 and 1936. Peszel is primarily known for their contributions to the index of american designs, a body of work containing fifteen documented objects.

Peszel’s work involves the detailed study and rendering of historic domestic items and garments. The known works represented in collections document specific pieces of clothing, including a Bonnet, a Child's Dress, a Child's Shoe, and two distinct studies titled Dress. These renderings emphasize precise detailing, serving as visual records of early American decorative and utilitarian arts.

Today, Jean Peszel’s work is held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Art (NGA). The fifteen index of american designs documented by Peszel are preserved as historical references. Many of these important documentation pieces are now available as downloadable artwork, providing researchers access to high-quality prints that record this specific moment in American material history.