Boston Public Library

The Massachusetts WPA Federal Art Project Photograph Collection

Melancholy baby
Detail from: Melancholy baby
or
The Massachusetts WPA Federal Art Project Photograph Collection contains photographs that document the work created by artists who participated in the Massachusetts WPA Federal Art Project, which was active from 1934 to 1943. Images show individual works of art (prints, paintings, and sculpture) and document artists at work and in the classroom, as well as their exhibitions and scientific studies that were part of the project.

Many Boston artists represented in Boston Public Library's Arts collections participated in the WPA, including Allan Rohan Crite, Lawrence Kupferman, Hyman Bloom, and Jack Levine.

Related materials (not pictured here) include the Project Summary (issued in 1943) that describes the organizational units within the project, a list of classes and demonstrations with locations, a list of exhibitions with locations, and lists of WPA staff members and participating artists.

The Massachusetts WPA Federal Art Project Photograph Collection is valuable as it records an important period in the development of American art and cultural support during a challenging time in American history.

Critical funding to support long-term preservation of and enhanced public access to Boston Public Library collections, including this one, was provided by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.

Locations in this Collection: