Here is an interesting new print of a WPA poster seeking guest homes for the 1939 New York World’s Fair that was held from April 30,1939 until October 27, 1940.  The World’s Fair was held at the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.  During the eighteen months it was open,  the fair attracted over 45 million visitors at a time when there were far fewer hotel rooms than there are now.  The answer to the housing problem was to seek guesthouses in surrounding communities such as the Village of Hempstead in Nassau County. 

However, the art deco design features two of the 1939 New York Fair’s most striking architectural imaged.  The Trylon is the large pointed tower extending the upper left side of the poster.  The Perisphere is connected on the right side and the artist cleverly filled in the large circle of the Perisphere as an information circle for the registration fee.

The headline and large copy reads: “ WANTED!  10,000 Guest Homes, 1000 Furnished Houses for World’s Fair Visitors by March 15.  Register Here.  Fee: $2.00.  No Additional Charges.”

The caption at the bottom reads:  “Sponsored By The Village of Hempstead for the Nassau County Association Incorporated.”

The artist is not designated but the WPA Federal Arts Project in 1939. 

At the depth of the Depression in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration, or the WPA as it is commonly known.  It was designed to put Americans, including members of the artistic community, to work.  As part of the WPA, The Federal Art Project was formed.

 As part of the Federal Art Project, artists were engaged to do local posters.  The posters were designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs in seventeen states and the District of Columbia, with the strongest representation from California, Illinois, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.  This poster is part of that body of work.

Many of these posters, including this one, were created in a style that was then called modernist but which we call Art Deco today.  In the late 1930’s art deco was an important style.  At a time of massive technical change, the style of Art Deco embraced every facet of that change.  Furniture, houses, skyscrapers (The Empire State Building is among the best known) were all influenced by this movement.  Poster art, especially commercial posters, were one of its most lasting contributions.

This print is on a high-quality 100# glossy text paper.  The actual image measures 10.5” (w) X 16.5” (h).  The paper is 11” (w) x 17” (h).  Therefore, it has a small border to allow for framing.  When matted, this size is perfect for a standard 16” x 20” frame, a manageable size for a variety of decorating purposes.

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