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WPA Posters on American Memory



Good afternoon,

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apologies for any duplicate postings.

WPA Posters Latest Addition to American Memory online collections

During the Great Depression and World War II, the federal government
employed artists to design posters to publicize cultural programs, to
encourage people to get appropriate medical care, to promote better
housing and to enlist support for the war effort. Of the 35,000 posters
created by WPA Federal Art Project artists, approximately 2,000 are
still in existence. The newest addition to the American Memory online
collections, ?By the People, For the People: Posters from the WPA,
1936-1943," presents 907 of  these boldly colored original posters which
document a significant period in the history of American design. This
collection can be found at the following url:
<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaposters/wpahome.html>

These posters were created by one of the first government agencies to
support the arts.
They provide information on the issues of interest to the organizations
requesting these
posters. The posters cover activities from seventeen states and the
District of Columbia.
Users will find many ?See America? posters encouraging people to visit
their national
parks and cultural landmarks. They will also find posters urging the
public to be checked
for cancer and to obtain proper treatment, as well as posters for
musical events, theatrical
programs and other community activities.

The Library obtained this collection, the largest of WPA posters in
existence, during the
1940s. Though most of the posters were silk-screened, there are some
lithographs and
woodcuts. Those interested in art and design will enjoy the variety of
images as well as
the color and the unique design formats. Viewers of this collection will
come to
understand why Richard Floethe, the head of the New York poster division
stated, ?the
government unwittingly launched a movement to improve the commercial
poster and
raise it to a true art form.?

Three special presentations supplement the collection. A short interview
with master
silkscreener Tony Velonis, taped in 1994, provides users with the
opportunity to hear one
of the WPA?s poster artists discuss his personal experiences and his
craft. Also included
is a calendar created in 1938 by the New York City Poster Division to
show government
officials the skilled work being done by the Federal Art Project staff.
Users can flip the
pages of the calendar to view the artwork month by month. The third
special presentation
presents collection highlights selected by Library staff to document the
depth of the
collection, the variety of styles and the content of the WPA posters.
Many of the posters
shown in the collection highlights have not been widely published.

Please direct any questions about this collection to ndlpcoll@loc.gov

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