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A print of National Parks/Mystery Veils the Desert, 1934, by Dorothy Waugh.
The posters Dorothy Waugh created for the National Park Service between 1934 and 1936 mark a turning point in American graphic design and advertising history. Previous posters for National Parks were mainly created by railroad companies, but Waugh advocated for the government to produce its own campaign with a modernist bent. The resulting series of posters, at once avant-garde and accessible, put Waugh at the forefront of the government’s increasingly expansive presence in American visual culture.
With the establishment of Death Valley as a national monument in 1933 and Joshua Tree in 1936, the NPS added two major sites to its desert portfolio (they would both be designated national parks in 1994). Even with the CCC’s development efforts, many Americans hesitated to visit these remote locations, fearing both the harsh desert climate and the unfamiliar wildlife. Waugh’s poster contributed to efforts to reassure them, emphasizing the special and enduring qualities of the desert: the exceptional clarity of the night sky and the solitude and mystery to be found in its otherworldly landscape. Even with the CCC’s development efforts, many Americans hesitated to visit these remote locations, fearing both the harsh desert climate and the unfamiliar wildlife. Waugh’s poster contributed to efforts to reassure them, emphasizing the special and enduring qualities of the desert: the exceptional clarity of the night sky and the solitude and mystery to be found in its otherworldly landscape. Standing in for the entire Southwest, this desert scene evokes a quiet drama in which a lone horseman is dwarfed by the seemingly infinite cosmos. Waugh’s simple, almost pictographic handling of the image recalls her talent as a children’s book illustrator.
Measures 15.25 x 11 inches. Ships rolled.
