WPA Posters in Missouri — Federal Art Project

Federal Art Project — Public Service Graphics, 1935–1943

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.

A Handful of Notable Poster Artists

Many WPA poster artists remain less documented than muralists, but several individuals are closely associated with the division’s visual identity. Richard Floethe and Anthony Velonis shaped both the design language and production methods of the New York workshop. Artists such as Erik Hans Krause, Vera Bock, and Katherine Milhous produced distinctive posters for cultural programs, children’s events, and regional exhibitions, helping to define a modern American poster style that blended local themes with contemporary design.

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

Several Missouri WPA posters survive in the Library of Congress collection. These include:

These surviving examples confirm that Missouri’s poster workshops were active contributors to the Federal Art Project’s public service communication efforts.

Missouri Poster Artists

Missouri’s poster work is documented through Federal Art Project payrolls, workshop rosters, and surviving prints. Known Missouri-connected poster artists include:

These artists represent the regional contribution to a national effort that blended public communication with modern American design.

For a full national overview of the program, including poster history, printing methods, major workshops, and examples from across the country, see the WPA Poster Division.