Charles Pickert

Charles Pickert is remembered primarily as the coauthor of The Art of Graining: How Acquired and How Produced, a guide to decorative wood graining first published in 1872 with A. Metcalf. The book was created for working artisans and explains techniques for imitating the look of woods used in interior finishing.

Although reliable biographical details about Pickert himself are hard to confirm, his book suggests deep practical experience in the decorative arts. Its detailed instruction and large set of lithographic illustrations helped make it a notable example of 19th-century craft publishing.

For modern readers, Pickert's appeal lies in that mix of skill and usefulness. Even with so little known about his life, his surviving work still speaks clearly: it was made to teach, to preserve a trade, and to help craftspeople do better work.