Sequoia National Park poster – WPA poster – c1939
Between 1935 – 1943 the WPA’s Federal Art Project printed over two million posters in 35,000 different designs to stir the public’s imagination for education, theatre, health, safety, and travel. Due to their fragile nature only two thousand posters have survived to this day; less than one tenth of one percent! This Sequoia National Park poster was created circa 1938 and features a car travelling through the National Park towing a caravan.
In the mid 1930s, America was going through the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In a bid to help Americans recover from the Great Depression and put millions of Americans back to work, President D Roosevelt established a New Deal program. Part of that programme was the formation of the Works Progress Administration. The WPA funded various art projects between 1936 and 1943. The WPA were also responsible for creating posters designed to publicise the exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs. Seventeen states including California, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were catered for. The Work Projects Administration (WPA) created at least 2000 posters in its seven year run. The results of one of the first U.S. Government programs to support the arts.
The Sequoia National Park is famous for the General Sherman tree which is the largest tree on Earth. Which as this vintage WPA poster explains is 102 ft in circumference at its base. The General Sherman tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains five of the ten largest trees in the world. Original copies of the WPA series of posters have since become highly desirable and therefore rare collector’s items.
Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as a fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.
The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a print and frame for a great price.