Why the Poster Division Was Formed
The WPA Poster Division emerged within the Federal Art Project beginning in 1935 as part of the broader New Deal effort to employ artists and communicate federal programs to the public. The government needed clear, accessible visual announcements for exhibitions, theatre productions, concerts, health campaigns, educational programs, parks, and community events. At the same time, thousands of trained artists, designers, and illustrators were out of work. The poster workshops were created to meet both needs at once.
These posters were not commercial advertisements. They were public service graphics, designed to bring New Deal programs into everyday spaces—schools, libraries, post offices, parks, and storefronts. Between 1936 and 1943, the WPA produced tens of thousands of poster designs and printed more than two million posters, making the Poster Division one of the largest coordinated graphic arts efforts in United States history.
Leadership and Innovation
The most influential leadership in the Poster Division came from Richard Floethe, director of the New York City poster workshop. Floethe, a German-born industrial designer trained in Bauhaus principles, encouraged artists to use bold color, simplified forms, and modernist composition. Under his direction, the New York workshop became the largest and most stylistically influential poster unit in the country.
A second key figure, Anthony Velonis, transformed the division’s production methods in 1936 by introducing the silkscreen printing process. Before Velonis, posters were typically hand-painted and lettered one at a time. Silkscreen allowed artists and printers to work together to produce high-quality designs in larger quantities. Velonis helped standardize the technique across Federal Art Project workshops and later coined the fine-art term “serigraph” to distinguish artistic silkscreen prints from purely commercial work.
Where Poster Divisions Operated
By 1938, Federal Art Project poster workshops were active in at least eighteen states and the District of Columbia. The strongest concentrations of production were in New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, and Ohio, with additional activity in states such as Missouri, Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington. Each workshop produced posters tailored to local needs, but all shared the same federal mission: strong design, clear communication, and public accessibility.
Missouri Poster Production
Missouri participated in the WPA Federal Art Project’s poster program through its graphic-arts workshops in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Jefferson City. These units produced posters for public health campaigns, library programs, educational initiatives, and community events. Although Missouri’s output was smaller than that of New York or Illinois, its workshops were active and documented in federal records, confirming the state’s role in the national poster effort.
Surviving Missouri WPA Posters
The following examples represent only a small sample of the many WPA posters that survive today. These Missouri-related posters are documented in the Library of Congress collection and illustrate the types of public service graphics produced by the state’s Federal Art Project workshops.
- St. Louis Municipal Opera — LC-DIG-ppmsca-38554
- St. Louis Zoo — Free Lectures — LC-DIG-ppmsca-38552
- St. Louis Art Museum — Free Exhibitions — LC-DIG-ppmsca-38553
- Health Clinic — Missouri WPA — LC-DIG-ppmsca-38555
- Library Program — St. Louis WPA — LC-DIG-ppmsca-38556
- Missouri Public Health Campaign — LC-DIG-ppmsca-38557
- St. Louis Educational Series — LC-DIG-ppmsca-38558
National WPA Poster Production
More than 35,000 poster designs were created under the WPA Federal Art Project between 1936 and 1943, with over two million impressions printed nationwide. Workshops in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and other major cities produced posters for theatre, music, health, parks, education, and community programs. These posters represent one of the largest coordinated public design efforts in American history.
Poster Categories
- Health & Safety — clinics, vaccinations, hygiene, public health campaigns
- Education — libraries, reading programs, adult education
- Theatre & Music — Federal Theatre Project, concerts, opera
- Exhibitions — museums, art shows, cultural events
- Parks & Recreation — national parks, hiking, outdoor programs
- Community Events — lectures, fairs, civic programs
Poster Printing Methods
WPA posters were produced using several printing techniques, with silkscreen becoming the dominant method after 1936. Anthony Velonis introduced the process to the Federal Art Project, allowing workshops to produce bold, modern designs in larger quantities. Other methods included lithography, woodcut, and hand-painted layouts used for small local runs.
Poster Production Timeline
- 1935 — Federal Art Project established
- 1936 — Silkscreen introduced; poster workshops expand
- 1937–1939 — Peak poster production nationwide
- 1940–1941 — Continued output for health and education programs
- 1942–1943 — Program winds down as wartime priorities shift
Major Poster Workshops
- New York City — largest workshop; Bauhaus influence
- Chicago — strong health and education output
- Philadelphia — cultural and museum posters
- Los Angeles — parks and recreation themes
- St. Louis — Missouri public health and library posters
- Kansas City — Missouri graphic arts and layout work
Explore the Full WPA Poster Collection
The Library of Congress preserves more than 900 WPA posters from across the United States. The complete collection can be viewed here: