Milton Bevier

Milton Bevier was an artist active during the latter half of the 1930s, documented specifically between 1935 and 1940. Bevier’s output centers almost exclusively on documentary work associated with the Index of American Design (IAD), a significant initiative established during the Depression to systematically record historical American decorative and folk arts.

Bevier contributed 10 documented studies to this project. These works are highly meticulous, detailed renderings of pre-19th-century artifacts, focusing on functional objects and textile patterns rather than traditional fine art subjects. The scope of these renderings spans early craftsmanship, including detailed studies of domestic items such as a Candlestick, a Childs Porridge Spoon, and a Sand Blotter. Bevier also documented decorative pieces like the folk-art oriented Chalkware Deer and textile patterns demonstrated in the study of Resist Fabric.

The historical and technical importance of these documents is reflected in their collection history. Bevier’s 10 index of american designs are held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art (NGA). As records commissioned by a federal project, many of these original documents are now considered public domain material, ensuring their availability for scholarship. Today, the resulting documents are highly valued as museum-quality records of Americana, and high-quality prints and reproductions of Milton Bevier prints and drawings are widely circulated for research.