Monday, March 27, 2023

From "Nice News"

I really liked the posters I saw by Dorothy Waugh. There are lots more if you do a search. "Dorothy Waugh’s storied creative career encompassed tenures as an artist, children’s book author, design school instructor, radio host, and more. Though her name may be unknown to many, Waugh’s work is embedded in the early history of the National Park Service, which has managed and maintained America’s public lands and monuments since 1916. In the 1930s, Waugh worked as a landscape architect and artist for the park service, at first designing technical manuals but eventually turning to the creation of posters promoting state and national parks. “United States citizens for many years have seen the Swiss Alps, the Italian Lake country, and other beauty spots of foreign lands depicted in beautiful posters on display throughout the land and it is time that Americans should be acquainted with their own beauty spots through the same medium,” a 1934 Park Service Bulletin explained of the poster campaign. Waugh’s bright and bold designs proved the perfect visual match for capturing interest in the great outdoors. In total, she designed 17 posters for the federal government agency. She died on March 20, 1996 at age 99, but the unique handprint Waugh left on the park service will forever be remembered."