Must we always have this? Why not housing? – Vintage Poster Wall Art
(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 Must we always have this? Why not housing?, a vintage poster rich in period detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
Choose the framed print, ready to hang the day it arrives, or the unframed print for a frame of your own. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
Must we always have this? Why not housing?
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The question printed across this 1936 poster, "Must we always have this? Why not housing?", sets it apart from the rest of the collection. It was made for the New York City Housing Authority, which had been created only two years earlier under Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, and Langdon W. Post, the authority's commissioner, was among those behind the effort. The Federal theater Project, part of the Works Progress Administration, sponsored the design, and the colored silkscreen reflects the WPA's wider use of inexpensive printmaking to reach city crowds. Its message speaks to the crowded tenements and slums that public housing was meant to replace.
| Created / published | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen color. |
| Notes | Date stamped on verso: Oct 20 1936. Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress). New York City Housing Authority - Langdon W. Post Commissoner- Fiorello H. La Guardia Mayor. · Federal Theatre Project (U.S.) sponsor. |
| Subjects | New York City Housing Authority--Public relations--1930-1940. City & town life--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. Slums--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. City planning--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. Housing--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Work Projects Administration Poster Collection |
| Original scan | 2,761 × 4,096 px · prints to 9 × 14 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | 353_Must_we_always_have_thi_1936 |
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