Regina Henderer

Regina Henderer was an artist active for a brief but historically significant period spanning 1935 to 1939. Her professional output is specifically associated with the Index of American Designs (IAD), a critical documentary initiative established under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project. The IAD aimed to create a comprehensive pictorial survey of American decorative arts, folk art, and historical design objects, thus Henderer’s work focused on the meticulous rendering of existing artifacts rather than original composition.

Fifteen documented designs attributed to Henderer are represented in museum collections, reflecting the practical and domestic nature of the items surveyed. These precise drawings include common household objects and tools, such as the documentation of a Chair, a Carved Wooden Basket, a Door Knocker, a Fluting Iron, and an Iron Holder. These detailed renderings of American material culture are preserved in the collections of the National Gallery of Art. The technical precision of these drawings establishes them as valuable, museum-quality records.

As the documentation was produced through a government-funded initiative, many of these records, including those by Regina Henderer, are generally considered to be in the public domain. This accessibility allows for institutions to widely share high-quality prints and downloadable artwork derived from these original documents, ensuring that the historical details captured remain readily available to researchers and the public.