Vincent P. Rosel

Vincent P. Rosel was an artist and documentarian active for a brief but significant period between 1935 and 1938. Rosel is primarily known for contributions to the Index of American Designs, a crucial initiative under the Federal Art Project (FAP) during the Depression era. This massive documentation effort focused on creating precise, high-quality visual records of historical American decorative and folk arts, capturing objects from the colonial period through the nineteenth century.

Rosel is represented by fifteen works recorded in museum collections, reflecting the detailed drafting style required by the Index. These studies served to preserve visual information regarding historic crafts and utilitarian objects. Documented examples of the artist’s work include depictions of artifacts such as the Horse Head Hitching Post, the textile study Patchwork Quilt, the functional piece Candle Mold, the folk artifact Iron Bank, and the furniture documentation Kitchen Bench Table.

The historical and artistic credibility of Rosel's output is confirmed by the inclusion of their work in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Because this documentation was created under a federal initiative, Vincent P. Rosel prints and studies often fall within the public domain, providing valuable downloadable artwork for researchers and historians. These meticulous records remain important examples of museum-quality documentation of American folk history.