John Swientochowski

John Swientochowski was active as an artist and draftsman during the period 1935-1939. His documented output is contextualized within the "index of american designs," a significant project dedicated to the thorough documentation of American decorative and utilitarian objects.

Swientochowski is represented by fourteen works related to this index held in museum collections. These documents focus on detailed, precise renderings of historical American artifacts, spanning categories of household items, furniture, and apparel. Specific examples of his documented objects include a rendering of a Fork, the apparel documentation of a High Silk Hat, and specialized household items such as the Pennsylvania Dutch Bed Stool, the Baby High Chair, and the lighting fixture known as the Betty Lamp.

The institutional importance of Swientochowski's documentation is established by its inclusion in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Due to the nature of their creation under government sponsorship, many of these detailed renderings are today considered public domain works. As a result, museum-quality images of John Swientochowski prints and drawings are widely accessible, often available as high-quality prints for researchers and collectors.