Gregg Arlington, the painter of this version of Little Miss Muffet, was one of thousands of artists working in the Federal Art Project, part of the Works Progress Administration. The project created many thousands of original art works and it also created documentation of over 20,000 photographic records of American art, painting, sculpture, handicraft and folk art. The project was dissolved in 1943.

Reading and reading skills were popular topics among the federal artists who created this and many other works. One story of the origin of Little Miss Muffet is that a Dr. Thomas Muffet wrote it to depict his daughter Patience in the early 1600's. It did not appear in a printed version until 1805 in "Songs for the Nursery." Through the years it has experienced several word changes, particularly Little Miss Muffet's name. At one time it started, "Little Mary Ester who sat on a tester." The "tuffet" she sits on is a small stool and Miss Muffet was originally eating her curs and whey. For the size and simplicity of the poem, much has been written on its origins and derivations.

George Biddle, the founder of the project, said that because of the Federal Art Project, the Depression exerted, "a more invigorating effect on American art than any past event in the country's history." While times were hard, the mood of the posters was typically upbeat and the designs were bold and original and many of the artists felt free to experiment with a wide range of concepts. For American art, it was a vital period that invigorated the entire country's perception of what art could be and brought American art into the international forefront.

The Library of Congress is the largest single holder of WPA posters, having over 900 in its collection.

Medium : 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen, color

Created/Published : WPA Art Project, between 1936 and 1940, Chicago, Ill.

Creator : Gregg Arlington, artist

Frame : 1" black with gold trim : size 20 1/2 x 15 1/2

Part of the WPA Poster collection housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

Price: $95.00

Availability: Usually ships in one week

Product #: FR0061