Margaret Knapp

Margaret Knapp was an artist active during a brief, focused period between 1934 and 1935. Her documented professional output centers entirely on highly precise renderings created for the Index of American Design (IAD). The IAD, established during the New Deal era, sought to create a definitive visual archive of historical American decorative and folk arts, placing Knapp’s work squarely within the federal art documentation movement of that time.

Fifteen of Knapp’s designs are held in major institutional collections, illustrating the breadth of American craftsmanship documented by the IAD project. Her drawings focus on a variety of media, including studies of furniture, textiles, and domestic metalwork. Notable documented works include a drawing of an Armchair, a Silver Teapot, and precise renderings of historical garments, such as the Bodice and various Beaded Bag designs.

Knapp’s contributions are preserved in the collection of the National Gallery of Art (NGA), establishing their importance as museum-quality records of American heritage. As documentation of objects that are often now considered part of the public domain, these detailed drawings are frequently reproduced for study. The clarity and factual precision of her original renderings lend themselves well to the creation of high-quality prints for researchers and historians.