The Artistry of the WPA

Today I thought I would talk to you about The Works Progress Administration (later abbreviated WPA). The WPA was created as a "make work" program that provided jobs and income to the unemployed during the Great Depression. WPA projects primarily employed blue-collar workers in construction projects across the nation, but also employed white-collar workers and artists on smaller-scale projects, and even ran a circus.

With unemployment figures falling fast due to WWII-related employment, Franklin D. Roosevelt shut down the WPA on December 4, 1943.

From a design standpoint, I find the artistry of their posters to be exquisite. It's really hard for me to find one of their posters that I don't like. With that said, I thought I would showcase a few of my favorites here. The originals are currently in possession of The Library of Congress, but you can buy 11 X 17 reproductions as cheaply as $10 on eBay or assorted other online outlets. With posters touting such subjects as work safety, the perils of syphallis to the advantages of drinking milk, the spectrum of the poster's subject matter is abundant.

To see more of the posters and/or read more about the WPA and its' influences, check out:

• Collection Highlights
• Zazzle.com
• WPA Poster Art
• The WPA
• About the Collection