"The Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration is a practical relief project, which also emphasizes the best tradition of the democratic spirit. The WPA artist, in rendering his own impression of things, speaks also for the spirit of his fellow countrymen everywhere. I think the WPA artist exemplifies with great force the essential place which the arts have in a democratic society such as ours."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, May 11, 1939
"One of the most fascinating and vital developments of American graphic design took place between 1935 and 1943, years darkened by the Great Depression and World War II. In this remarkable eight-year period, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) printed two million posters from 35,000 designs. It was an innovative time, characterized by experimentation, fresh ideas, and avant-garde thinking; the result was, as noted at the time by P.M. Weekly, 'poster art more vital than any this country has ever known.' "
- C. DeNoon in "Posters of the WPA," The Wheatley Press, 1987
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