Snapshots of the Past

May – Historic Poster Reproduction

May, [1938] — vintage poster
May, [1938]. Vintage poster from the WPA Posters collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Step back in time with May, a vintage poster rich in period detail. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

May

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The May pole, with dancers circling its ribbons, anchors this 1938 color silkscreen, one of the calendar images that the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project produced during the Depression. Silkscreen was a practical choice for the program, since it allowed artists to make bold, flat areas of color in multiples for wide distribution. The subject draws on the old spring festival tradition, when communities gathered on the first of May to dance around a decorated pole, and the design celebrates that seasonal communal energy. The print is reproduced in Christopher DeNoon's 1987 study of WPA posters.

Created / published[1938]
Medium1 print : silkscreen, color.
GenreCalendars 1930-1940.Screen prints Color 1930-1940.
NotesPosters of the WPA / Christopher DeNoon. Los Angeles : Wheatly Press, c1987, no. 316
SubjectsMay poles--1930-1940. Dance--1930-1940.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,781 × 4,711 px · prints to 13 × 16 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-221167

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