Snapshots of the Past

Failure here may mean death below Safety first. – Historic Poster Reproduction

Failure here may mean death below Safety first., 1936 — vintage poster
Failure here may mean death below Safety first., 1936. 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

This rare vintage poster captures Failure here may mean death below Safety first. in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. 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.

Failure here may mean death below Safety first.

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The title, "Failure here may mean death below," puts the warning in the words of the job itself, and the girders in the subject line tell us the danger is the steel work high above the street. The poster was made in 1936, when the Works Progress Administration employed artists across the country to produce cheap, bold posters on public issues, and this one uses woodcut-style color, with flat shapes and strong contrast that could be read at a glance from a distance. The record also credits the Federal Music Project as sponsor, which shows how the WPA's separate arts units sometimes shared printing and design resources.

Created / published1936
Medium1 print on board (poster) : woodcut color.
NotesWork Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress). · Federal Music Project (U.S.) sponsor.
SubjectsSafety--1930-1940. Girders--1930-1940.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Work Projects Administration Poster Collection
Original scan1,148 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
Reference627_Failure_here_may_mean_d_1936

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