Roy Weber

Roy Weber was an American artist and technical illustrator active primarily during the short period between 1935 and 1938. His documented artistic output is intrinsically linked to the Index of American Designs (IAD), a comprehensive project funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) dedicated to documenting American folk art and decorative history.

Weber contributed fifteen documented designs to the IAD initiative, creating highly detailed, precise renderings of historical and functional domestic objects. These drawings served to catalogue American material culture, bridging the gap between historical artifact and academic study.

Five examples of his detailed documentation are represented in collections, focusing on everyday items from early American history. Notable recorded works include the designs for a Buttermold and a Toaster, alongside multiple detailed illustrations of the Pa. German Stove Plate. These works emphasize accuracy and functional form rather than purely aesthetic interpretation.

Weber’s technical illustrations are preserved in major institutional holdings, establishing his specific contribution to this national arts documentation effort. His work, along with that of other IAD artists, is maintained in the collections of the National Gallery of Art. Today, the detailed nature of these historical documents makes high-quality reproductions of Roy Weber prints available for scholarly use. Due to their status as government-commissioned works, many of these IAD designs reside in the public domain.