Biography
Edna Reindel (1894–1990) was an American painter, illustrator, and muralist whose career bridged the American Scene movement, the New Deal art programs, and the wartime industrial era. Born in Detroit and trained at the Pratt Institute, she developed a reputation for strong draftsmanship, crisp realism, and a modernist clarity that made her work well suited to public art initiatives of the 1930s.
Reindel was selected as one of the early artists for the Civil Works Administration (CWA) art program in 1933–34, a distinction shared by only a few thousand artists nationwide. She continued under the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), producing easel paintings and public works that aligned with the American Scene ethos of depicting everyday life with dignity and clarity.
By the late 1930s she was associated with the WPA Federal Art Project, contributing paintings and illustrations that emphasized American workers, domestic life, and regional identity. Her work gained national attention during World War II, when she created the celebrated “Women at War / Women at Work” series—powerful images of women in industrial and military-support roles that remain some of the most iconic depictions of wartime labor.
Artistic Contributions
Reindel’s early New Deal work reflects the values of the American Scene movement: clear form, strong composition, and a focus on everyday American subjects. Her later wartime paintings expanded this vision, portraying women as central figures in the nation’s industrial effort. These works were widely reproduced and exhibited, cementing her place in 20th‑century American art.
Her career demonstrates the breadth of the New Deal art programs, which supported both traditional regionalist painters and artists whose work evolved into modernist or documentary modes. Reindel’s ability to move between these worlds makes her a significant figure in the history of American public art.
New Deal Program Involvement
Reindel participated in three major federal art initiatives, beginning with her early selection for the Civil Works Administration (CWA) art program. According to a 1934 issue of The Art Digest 8 (January 1): 19. Hired by the PWAP to do a B/W Illustration, she was chosen among the first group of approximately 2,500 artists accepted into the program during its initial formation in late 1933—a notable distinction, particularly for a woman artist working in a male‑dominated field.
Civil Works Administration (CWA): Selected in the earliest phase of the program, contributing easel paintings and public works during the winter of 1933–34. Her inclusion in the first national cohort demonstrates both her professional standing and the federal government’s recognition of her skill.
Public Works of Art Project (PWAP): Continued producing American Scene imagery under the nation’s first large‑scale federal art program, which grew directly out of the CWA art initiative.
WPA Federal Art Project: Active in the late 1930s, contributing paintings and illustrations that aligned with the WPA’s mission to democratize art and support American cultural identity. Her later work under the WPA helped broaden the visibility of women artists within the New Deal arts network.