Phyllis Dorr

Phyllis Dorr was an American designer whose period of known activity spanned 1935 through 1939. Dorr is primarily recognized for work documented within the Index of American Design, a project initiated during the Great Depression to compile a comprehensive record of American decorative and folk arts. Eleven of Dorr's submissions are associated with this critical national index.

The documented artworks focus exclusively on textiles and needlework, specifically crewel embroidery. The five named works represented in collections include a Bedspread, a Bed Hanging, and detailed examples of functional embroidery, such as the Crewel Embroidered Chair Seat and two works simply cataloged as Crewel Embroidery. These objects emphasize Dorr's skill in documenting or creating intricate design patterns reflective of historical American craft traditions.

The National Gallery of Art holds documentation of Phyllis Dorr's designs, establishing their presence in major institutional collections. The index images capture these works with precision, making high-quality prints and records available for study. As many of these images originated from government-sponsored documentation, the material related to Phyllis Dorr prints often resides in the public domain, providing valuable resources for decorative arts research. The preserved designs maintain historical significance as museum-quality documents of 20th-century design archiving efforts.