Mildred Prince

Mildred Prince was an artist active in 1936 whose documented output is associated with the Index of American Design, a key New Deal-era initiative established to record and preserve examples of American folk, decorative, and material culture.

Prince specialized in detailed textile work, with five representations of her designs currently recorded in museum collections. These highly intricate works focus exclusively on quilting techniques. Her known designs include three examples titled Applique Quilt and two examples titled Silk Applique Quilt, indicating a mastery of both complex construction and specialized textile processes. The accurate documentation of these museum-quality designs ensures their academic study and preservation.

Documentation of Mildred Prince’s Index of American Design submissions is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Art. Because the original works documented the material culture of the era and were created under a federal initiative, the resulting photographic documentation is often considered part of the public domain. Today, high-quality prints of the documentation, including those relevant to Mildred Prince’s designs, are frequently made available for researchers and enthusiasts.