New York World's Fair
Poster
1939 (made)
1939 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The V&A was born out of the success of the world's first great international exhibition held in London in 1851. The exhibitions, expositions and world's fairs staged around the world since then have been spectacular, popular and influential. Unsurpassed in their scale and confidence, the expositions encompassed the very latest developments in art, science and technology from all nations of the world, displayed in a fabulous array of buildings and parks.
This dynamic design for the New York World Fair of 1939 personifies a sense of optimism and enjoyment by showing a woman waving in front of the iconic structures of the fair, the Trylon and Perisphere. Although staged in troubled times, the New York fair aimed to convey a confident vision of the future, a recurrent theme of world expos. The designer, Albert Staehle (1899-1974) was an illustrator made famous by his 'Elsie the Cow' advertisements for Borden's milk, and the 'Smokey the Bear' character for the National Forest Service.
This dynamic design for the New York World Fair of 1939 personifies a sense of optimism and enjoyment by showing a woman waving in front of the iconic structures of the fair, the Trylon and Perisphere. Although staged in troubled times, the New York fair aimed to convey a confident vision of the future, a recurrent theme of world expos. The designer, Albert Staehle (1899-1974) was an illustrator made famous by his 'Elsie the Cow' advertisements for Borden's milk, and the 'Smokey the Bear' character for the National Forest Service.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | New York World's Fair (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour lithograph on paper |
| Brief description | Poster, 'New York World's Fair', colour lithograph by Albert Staehle, USA, 1939 |
| Physical description | Portrait format poster showing the figure of a woman with raised arm with the Trylon and Perisphere structures visible behind her. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | Text from Plywood: Material of the Modern World (15 July-12 November 2017)
POSTER
1939
The towering structures of the Trylon
and Perisphere were the symbols of the
1939 New York World’s Fair. Plywood
received an unexpected showcase at the
fair when it was used to re-clad the Trylon
after huge slabs of plaster dropped from
the structure in late 1939. The smooth
surface of the plywood panels preserved
the Trylon’s contemporary, streamlined
appearance.
Designed by Albert Staehle (1899–1974)
Printed by Grinnell Lithograph Company
New York, USA
Lithograph
V&A: E.285-2006(2017) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The V&A was born out of the success of the world's first great international exhibition held in London in 1851. The exhibitions, expositions and world's fairs staged around the world since then have been spectacular, popular and influential. Unsurpassed in their scale and confidence, the expositions encompassed the very latest developments in art, science and technology from all nations of the world, displayed in a fabulous array of buildings and parks. This dynamic design for the New York World Fair of 1939 personifies a sense of optimism and enjoyment by showing a woman waving in front of the iconic structures of the fair, the Trylon and Perisphere. Although staged in troubled times, the New York fair aimed to convey a confident vision of the future, a recurrent theme of world expos. The designer, Albert Staehle (1899-1974) was an illustrator made famous by his 'Elsie the Cow' advertisements for Borden's milk, and the 'Smokey the Bear' character for the National Forest Service. |
| Bibliographic reference | |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.285-2006 |
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| Record created | August 1, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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