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"Newark Industrial Exposition", Poster Design Celebrating the American Worker

About the Item

Brilliantly juxtaposing the silhouette of an factory worker, with his sledgehammer, against the backdrop of an industrial landscape in beautiful hues of purple, lemon yellow and tangerine, this painting was executed by Gerrit Beneker for the Newark Industrial Exposition, probably in 1912 or 1914. American artists increasingly celebrated industry and its workers in the early 20th century, a phenomenon which accelerated -- and was publicly supported -- via countless WPA and corporate murals in the 1920s and 1930s. The Newark Exposition started in the 1870s, and seems to have been held sporadically over the next several decades, ending in 1914. One boosterish article in 1912 said that the Exposition, sponsored by the Board of Trade, was held to "accelerate the Industrial, commercial and educational interests of the city." At the time, it was said that 3,000 Industrial shops produced over 100,000 different articles in Newark -- clearly the heyday of American manufacturing. The painting is executed in gouache, watercolor and pencil on paper, and is unframed.
  • Creator:
    Gerrit Beneker (Painter)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)Depth: 0.1 in (2.54 mm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
    1910-1919
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1912-1914
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Overall excellent; minor fold marks and rubbing.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865110110823
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