Saturday, July 24, 2010

Free Vintage Clip Art - Vintage WPA Spare Our Trees Poster

Long before it was "trendy" to be "green" another generation was certainly concerned about the environment.



Click on image to download

This poster is one of about 2000 posters produced by the WPA - Works Project Administration. The WPA was created by President Roosevelt in 1935 in response to the Great Depression and put millions of Americans to work building roads, bridges, schools and public buildings.  It also distributed food and clothing.  Almost every community in the United States benefited from the program.

As a child I remember listening to the stories told by my grandmother and grandfather about the Great Depression and how bleak the circumstances were.  My grandfather, after serving his country in World War 1, would go to work every day building bridges and docks thanks to the WPA.  I remember being shocked as a child to learn there wasn't enough money to buy food for my grandfather's lunch so quite often he would take the potato peelings from the night's before meal as his lunch.  Incredible.

This particular WPA poster was created in 1938 and is so relevant today!  It's simple beauty and message is probably why this poster is experiencing a resurgence in popularity today.

Enjoy!