R.J. De Freitas

R.J. De Freitas was an artist active in the late 1930s, documenting American decorative arts and architecture. Known primarily for their involvement in the Index of American Design project, De Freitas’s documented activity spans a concentrated period from 1938 to 1940. The Index was established to create a visual record of historic American utilitarian and decorative objects, defining a distinct style of meticulous, factual illustration employed by the artists involved.

While the artist's full scope of work is undocumented, seven pieces attributed to R.J. De Freitas are preserved in major collections, confirming their contribution to this important initiative. These works demonstrate an exacting attention to detail, characteristic of the WPA-era documentation efforts. Among the specific objects recorded by De Freitas are the architectural study Doorway and Doors and illustrations of historical artifacts such as the Ecclesiastical Rattle, Finial, from Reredos, Hammer, and Pewter Jar.

De Freitas’s work is held in the prestigious collection of the National Gallery of Art, validating their historical significance and the technical quality of their drawings. The high-quality prints derived from these archival works serve as valuable resources for the study of American material culture. Because these images are generally housed in public domain collections, they are often available as royalty-free downloadable artwork for research and historical reference. Today, R.J. De Freitas prints remain an authoritative resource for cataloging early American design.