Winslow Rich

Winslow Rich was an artist active during the mid-1930s, with documented output occurring between 1935 and 1938. His professional focus centered on the detailed graphic documentation of decorative arts and historical objects. Rich’s documented career is intrinsically linked to the Index of American Design (IAD), a federal initiative established by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Depression. The IAD aimed to create an exhaustive national pictorial record of American material culture and folk art.

Rich contributed to this effort by producing exacting studies of functional objects and furniture. Twelve examples of his design documentation are represented in museum collections, confirming the artist's role in preserving the visual history of American craft.

His subjects often included domestic and utilitarian items, exemplified by the works Pewter Drinking Cup, Built-In Furniture, Desk, Shaker Cabinet, and Shaker Chest of Drawers. The concentration on Shaker pieces highlights the project’s dedication to recording distinctive regional and craft styles before they were lost.

As federal records, many of the original Winslow Rich prints and designs reside in the public domain. These works are preserved in the collections of major institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, where they serve as museum-quality historical resources. Today, high-quality prints derived from these original documents contribute to scholarly research on American decorative arts.