Our Favorite WPA Tourism Posters From The 1930s

When Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the New Deal policies in 1933, he created a plethora of jobs and niches for workers to fill. The artwork that came from the Works Progress Administration Art Project survives as some of the most recognizable artwork produced in the 1930s in America. Here are some of our favorite WPA posters depicting national parks and various landmarks.

The “See America” campaign highlighted beautiful scenery from America’s landscapes, but was not necessarily promoting specific parks. Not only an offering to U.S. citizens, the images of wide open spaces and magnificent land formations piqued the curiosity of foreigners looking for their next international vacation.

Via/ Library of Congress
Via/ Library of Congress

We hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of WPA posters promoting U.S. tourism. We love these images and the style of bold design that still conjures up images of the classic American road trip vacation. And, we’re not the only ones still in awe of these posters. There’s a project which seeks to revive the “See America” campaign in coordination with the National Parks. We love the idea of new works of art being created to promote our glorious parks system also paying homage to WPA posters of the 1930s!

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