During the Great Depression, Du Bois worked as an artist for the Index of American Design, contributing sixteen watercolors in the collections of the National Gallery of Art.
[4] Du Bois designed the costumes and/or the scenery for some 48 Broadway shows.
He worked on Billy Rose's Aquacade for the New York World's Fair (1939–40).
Children's book writer and illustrator William Pène du Bois was a cousin.
[6] Du Bois was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction: