Isabella Ruth Doerfler (1883–1954) was a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

-based American artist who worked for the

Federal Arts Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administratio ...

in the 1930s. She was “one of the best renderers of textiles in New England.” Twenty of her

watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

are held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Art. Isabella_Ruth_Doerfler,_Bandbox_Design,_c

Born in Meriden,

, Doerfler graduated from the

Yale School of Art The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in graphic design, painti ...

in 1909. A member of the Arts and Crafts Association of Meriden and the Association of Connecticut Artists, she taught school, illustrated children's books, decorated antiques, and designed for publishing houses. In 1936, Doerfler contributed to the Index of American Design. Her

WPA WPA may refer to: Computing *Wi-Fi Protected Access, a wireless encryption standard *Windows Product Activation, in Microsoft software licensing * Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada * Windows Performance An ...

-commissioned works were displayed in the Undercliff Sanatorium, the Soldiers' Home in Rocky Hill, the Connecticut Farm for Women,

Norwich State Hospital The Norwich State Hospital, originally established as Norwich State Hospital for the Insane and later shortened to Norwich Hospital, was a psychiatric hospital that is located in Preston and Norwich, Connecticut. It opened its doors in Octobe ...

, Connecticut State College, and

West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquially known as "West Hartford Center," or simply "The ...

public schools. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she worked in the mechanical drawing department of a defense factory. Doerfler died on November 15, 1954, at the age of 71.

References

External links

Isabella Ruth Doerfler: Artist Information
- National Gallery of Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Doerfler, Isabella Ruth 1883 births 1954 deaths People from Meriden, Connecticut Yale School of Art alumni American artists 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women artists American watercolorists Artists from Connecticut Federal Art Project artists