This poster was created by one of the thousands of artists who participated in the Federal Art Project (FAP) during the Great Depression. Part of the Works Progress Administration, the project started in 1935 and ran for eight years. Reading, books, and education for children and adult-- are three themes that appealed to many of the artists who participated in the FAP.

George Biddle, the founder of the project in 1935, 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.

In addition to posters, the FAP created thousands of murals in public buildings all across the country. Artist such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Louise Nevelson, all left a moment of their creativity to posterity because of this program. As art historian Francis O'Connor said, "Something very vital indeed, something revolutionary happened to American culture during the 1930's."

By 1943, unemployment -- the primary reason for the programs creation --dipped to the point that the program was canceled.

One of the FAP's major activities was the index of American Design. The project helped popularizing American folk art by documenting the countries "usable past" of over 20,000 photographic records of American art, painting, sculpture, handicraft and folk art.

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

Created/Published : Oklahoma : WPA Oklahoma Art Project, between 1936 and 1941

Creator : Unattributed

Part of the Work Projects Administration Collection housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

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Product #: cph3f05427