New Deal Art: "The Builders"

Above: "The Builders," an oil painting by Charles F. Quest (1904-1993), celebrating "physical labor and teamwork," and created while Quest participated in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project. Did you know that between 1935 and 1943 WPA laborers worked on 125,000 projects to build, repair, or improve public buildings? Did you know that the "CCC Boys" built at least 2,500 cabins in parks across the U.S.? Did you know that the Public Works Administration funded thousands of public buildings, including schools, hospitals, courthouses, and housing developments? Other Roosevelt-era agencies, like the CWA, the NYA, the FERA, the Resettlement Administration, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, also had large infrastructure accomplishments. Many Americans are unaware of New Deal history, even though it was the largest work & construction program in human history. Isn't that amazing? Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.