Dorothy Waugh’s epic 1930s national park posters
Between 1934 and 1936, artist Dorothy Waugh was commissioned to create 17 posters for the National Park Service, a groundbreaking opportunity for a female designer at the time.
Her designs, which were both accessible and avant-garde, are being celebrated in an exhibition for the first time at New York’s Poster House.
Blazing A Trail: Dorothy Waugh’s National Parks Posters
is on display until 22 February 2026
Save Our Wildlife [Trumpeter Swan], 1935
‘In 1935, for a joint campaign by the National Park Service and the Department of Agriculture’s biological survey, Waugh was to design posters featuring five emblematic endangered animals – starting with a trumpeter swan, whose preservation had motivated the survey to create a wildlife refuge near Yellowstone. Characteristically, Waugh’s dramatic poster combined realistic and abstract elements.’
Life at Its Best, 1934
‘Waugh’s image of wilderness, fellowship and living off the land promotes the national parks as a tonic for the stifling constraints of the Depression and of urban life in general. Its successful design relies on a complex visual rhythm in which each set of forms, rising and falling, echoes another: the long slopes of the mountain peaks, the staccato arrangement of the tree line and the three cowboys around a comforting fire. Even the lettering of the words “National Parks” evokes the outline of a mountain range.’
Skiing, 1935
‘Here, Waugh promotes the exciting new opportunities for downhill skiing offered by the parks. She depicts a lone woman speeding fearlessly down a slope comprised of blue and-white stripes, which she combines with red accents in a subtle nod to the federal government’s role in the project.’
State Parks [Year-Round Recreation], 1936
‘With seven figures organized into warm- and cold-weather sections, Waugh’s poster, like its counterparts, highlights year-round recreation. The composition presents a montage of activities, and since the figures are what matter most, scenic elements are restricted to tiny balls.’
If you don't have Prime, sign up today and all the music is free.
...
background while you're on your
computer? I do, and I just got
these. Great sound and only
35 bucks. Helluva deal.
...
It's art with a weird vibe to it. Don't like.
ReplyDelete