Raymond Neumann

Raymond Neumann was a designer and draftsman whose known professional activity occurred during a concentrated period between 1935 and 1940. His career output is documented primarily through his contributions to the Index of American Design, a national initiative dedicated to recording the history of American decorative arts, crafts, and folk objects. Neumann’s work involved creating detailed, objective visual records of these historical artifacts.

His focus centered on documenting diverse aspects of material culture. Works represented in museum collections include his renderings of the monumental Cigar Store Figure: "Punch" and the architectural Decorah Altar. He also documented various functional domestic artifacts, such as the period depiction of the Rocking Horse, the Rocking Chair, and the specific technology represented by the Amana Stove. Eleven of his Index of American Design drawings are currently represented in museum collections.

Raymond Neumann’s drawings are preserved in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, establishing their significance as archival documents of American craft history. Given their origin in a federal art project, many of the historical documents created by Raymond Neumann are today considered part of the public domain. Researchers and collectors utilize these resources, sometimes available as high-quality prints, to study early 20th-century design documentation.