Lot 356: Play the Game/YWCA.

Play the Game/YWCA.
LUCILE PATTERSON MARSH (1890-?)
Rode & Brand, Lithographers, N. Y.
Cond A-/Slight creases at bottom.
This precursor to Nike's "Just Do it" advertising campaign achieves the exact same effect-with tons more charm and an appealing execution that's incredible infectious. Situated on the other side of the net, the viewer is turned into an amicable opponent of this sporty brunette and her background doubles partner-and we'd better be on our toes because it looks as if the ball is back in our court! A wonderful poster commissioned by the National Board of the YWCA. In the late-1850s, a small, concerned group of perceptive women began to sense the anxiety of the young women relocating to the larger cities across the country from rural areas in search of work and self-sufficiency. In 1858, with a religious revival sweeping the Northeast, this group of college-educated, Protestant women of varying denominations concerning themselves with this humanist commitment named their group the Young Women's Christian Organization. Working together toward their unified goals of improving the quality of female life, they became the first women's organization in the United States. The goal of this early group sought a common vision: peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all people. In 1907, the National Board of the YWCA was incorporated in New York. Their goals were lofty, but the sense of sisterhood that they strove for never excluded the pleasures of camaraderie, a spirit reflected admirably in this Marsh poster.
ca. 1938.
19 1/2 x 24 3/4 in./49.5 x 63 cm