Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Visit the aquarium: WPA poster


I was looking for something to fill a space in our hallway when I remembered this woodcut poster I found a few years ago in the Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. I loved it, but never really found the opportunity to use it anywhere before.


I cropped the image, cleaned it up a bit in Photoshop, printed it on some brown paper and popped it into a frame I already had. The print was created in 1937 by an artist named Robert Muchley for the WPA. The terms of use for this image state, "no known restrictions on publication," so I'm assuming it's probably safe to print and use it at home.

The Library of Congress archive is full of wonderful images like this and many are free to reproduce without copyright restrictions (though the LoC states "Rights assessment is your responsibility").

What Rushmore needs is an aquarium!

Dan loves aquariums and this print reminds me so much of one of my favorite films, Rushmore. Maybe because of the font that it used. (Looks like the font Wes Anderson always uses, Futura, but probably isn't actually Futura.)