Bernard P. Schardt was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 20, 1904. He was a graphic artist who resided in New York City during his career as an artist. Schardt worked for the Works Progress Administration from 1939-1943 in New York.

While Schardt worked for WPA his drawings and prints portrayed the working class during the Depression. He exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1937 and 1938. Schardt died on June 1, 1979, at his home in North Truro, Massachusetts.