Indian Court, Federal Building, Golden Gate International Exposition

Item

A 1939 silkscreen poster showing a stylized Pomo coiled basket pattern that is deep maroon and gold, and depicted as a flat geometric design. Text reads "Indian Court, Federal Building, Golden Gate International Exposition"
Title
Indian Court, Federal Building, Golden Gate International Exposition
Description
Artistic visualization of a Pomo coiled basket pattern in maroon and gold
Artist
Louis B. Siegriest
Date
1939
Commissioning Organization
WPA Federal Art Project, for the Indian Court exhibit (overseen by René d'Harnoncourt, Federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board)
Medium
Silkscreen
Destination
Golden Gate International Exposition, Treasure Island, San Francisco
Source Archive
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
Rights
No known restrictions on publication
Imagined Tourist
A fairgoer interested in art and culture
What the Poster Promises
Promise: Cultural enrichment, access to "authentic" Native art, framed as a museum-like aesthetic experience
Tone: Aweful, but distancing. It is a spectacle
What Is Visible
Landscape: None, it's object-focused
Transportation: None
People: No people at all
Symbols: The basket pattern
Item sets
Travel Posters