Stanley Thomas Clough was the artist who created this work. Conservation of the nation's natural resources was a popular theme among many of the Federal Art' Project artists. Clough was a printer, lithographer, illustrator, and etcher. The title of the poster is taken from Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees." The last stanza is "Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree."

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.

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 : Ohio : Federal Art Project, 1938

Creator : Stanley Thomas Clough, artist, 1905-1977

Housed in the Works Progress Administration Collection in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

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Product #: cph3f05412