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The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a program established by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1935. It was designed to put unemployed Americans back to work during the Depression by engaging them in government sponsored projects, such as construction, public buildings and roads, and cultural and educational initiatives. A major division within the WPA was Federal Project Number One that focused on arts-related projects to employ artists, musicians, actors, and writers. A significant cultural contribution exists today because of these WPA projects.

WPA artists believed that art should be incorporated into everyday life and so began emphasizing cultural events to enrich citizen's lives. It is natural that they should develop a series of posters promoting libraries as a source of recreation, culture, and education -- a sort of "everyman's college". Artistically the posters represent some of the best commercial ad work by graphic artists of the era. Their vintage designs are unmistakable and lend an historical flavor, creating a unique period style. Read more about the WPA posters and how they were created.

The posters are especially timely since April heralds National Library Week. Thousands of libraries will be celebrating this event. We are proud to offer this virtual exhibition of library posters as a way of linking libraries' past with the present.

Note: For easier viewing, this web page links to a sub-collection of images on Flickr. The original digital collection is from the American Memory Collection.

 

 

| View slideshow | View individual photos on Flickr | View original from American Memory

• Works Progress Administration - explanation and links to various WPA projects, such as the Federal Writers' Project and the Federal Theatre Project