Lot 123: POSTER: RICHARD HALLS (1906-1976) SEE AMERICA / WELCOME TO MONTANA. 28 x 22 inches. Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, NYC.

RICHARD HALLS (1906-1976) SEE AMERICA / WELCOME TO MONTANA.
28 x 22 inches. Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project, NYC.
Condition B+: loss in upper right corner; wrinkles and creases in image; tears along edges. Silkscreen. Paper.
"Under the New Deal, the U.S. Travel Bureau set out to awaken Americans' interest in their homeland. Given the conditions of the time - much of Europe and Asia were embroiled in war in the late 1930s - Americans' opportunities for travel abroad were severely limited and, in any case, the harsh economic realities faced by most U.S. citizens made distant travel a mere pipe dream. . . . In their choice of imagery, colors, composition and type these posters forcefully capture the grandeur of the vistas . . . and the vastness of Montana's rugged mountains. [They] encapsulate a strong theme that underlies many of the WPA posters: In showing a landscape of ferocious proportions and physical challenge, the poster reaffirmed and exulted in America as a place of opportunity and personal advancement. They explicitly urged "See America," but they also asked that we re-see America as a land capable of providing sustenance and a rebirth of spirit. This spirit was a resource the nation badly needed in its struggle during trying economic circumstances." (WPA p. 81). WPA 134.