William Herbert

William Herbert was professionally active during the mid-twentieth century, with documentation establishing his core period of output between 1935 and 1940. His work is intrinsically linked to the 15 index of american designs, suggesting significant involvement in documenting or creating studies related to historical American craft, architecture, and decorative arts during the Great Depression era.

Herbert's surviving output demonstrates a broad range of subjects, from architectural components to detailed religious narratives. Examples of his works include designs for structural and utilitarian objects, such as the Bit and Keystone Design. He also produced complex devotional pieces, documented in the two known examples from a Passion cycle: Station of The Cross No. 3: "Jesus Falls the First Time" and Station of the Cross No. 12: "Jesus Dies Upon the Cross", alongside generalized design concepts like Wall Painting.

Fifteen of William Herbert's designs are represented in institutional collections, confirming the historical importance of his contribution to the national index project. These works are held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. Today, many of these William Herbert prints and design studies are available within the public domain, allowing researchers access to downloadable artwork and enabling the creation of high-quality prints for study and preservation.