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Here are some of the smallest books at the world's largest library! 🔍📚

NEWS: The Library of Congress will make a trailblazing contribution to the America250 Time Capsule in Philadelphia in July: a tiny metal vial holding synthetic DNA encoded with digital copies from the Library’s collections.

The Library initiated a molecular data storage feasibility study in response to a request from Congress in 2024. As a result, the Library has been examining the storage capabilities of a new medium, synthetic DNA. An entirely manufactured molecule, synthetic DNA is designed to replicate the exceptional information density of nature’s best storage medium: DNA itself.

Working with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Lab, the Library has converted selected digital data into synthesized DNA strands encased in a metal vial about the length of a pencil eraser.

Learn more via the link in our bio.

Images: A one gigabyte synthetic DNA storage pellet encoded with digital copies of Library collection items is displayed alongside Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, one of the many items molecularly stored, May 14, 2026. The DNA pellet will be buried in a time capsule in Philadelphia to mark America's 250th birthday, and is set to be reopened in 2276. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

A one gigabyte synthetic DNA storage capsule containing digitized versions of Library of Congress collections treasures (next to a U.S. quarter for scale), is prepared to be included in a time capsule for America's 250th anniversary this summer. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

NEWS: The Library of Congress will make a trailblazing contribution to the America250 Time Capsule in Philadelphia in July: a tiny metal vial holding synthetic DNA encoded with digital copies from the Library’s collections.

The Library initiated a molecular data storage feasibility study in response to a request from Congress in 2024. As a result, the Library has been examining the storage capabilities of a new medium, synthetic DNA. An entirely manufactured molecule, synthetic DNA is designed to replicate the exceptional information density of nature’s best storage medium: DNA itself.

Working with the University of Washington’s Molecular Information Systems Lab, the Library has converted selected digital data into synthesized DNA strands encased in a metal vial about the length of a pencil eraser.

Learn more via the link in our bio.

Images: A one gigabyte synthetic DNA storage pellet encoded with digital copies of Library collection items is displayed alongside Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, one of the many items molecularly stored, May 14, 2026. The DNA pellet will be buried in a time capsule in Philadelphia to mark America's 250th birthday, and is set to be reopened in 2276. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

A one gigabyte synthetic DNA storage capsule containing digitized versions of Library of Congress collections treasures (next to a U.S. quarter for scale), is prepared to be included in a time capsule for America's 250th anniversary this summer. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

There’s a lot of talk about the Founding Fathers of the U.S. as we celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday, but what about the Founding Mothers? One name that should be considered for this title is Mary Katharine Goddard, an accomplished printer and publisher whose name appears on the second printing of the Declaration of Independence.

In January of 1777, after fleeing Philadelphia for Baltimore, the Continental Congress commissioned Goddard to print a second issue of the Declaration of Independence. This time, those who signed the Declaration in July of 1776 reasserted their commitment to the cause of Independence by allowing their names to be printed on the broadside. Mary Katharine Goddard put her name in print, too.

Printing this document was an act of treason. By printing this broadside and including her name, Mary Katharine Goddard was bravely aligning herself with the same risks that the signers had undertaken.

There are only 11 known surviving copies of the Goddard broadside, making it a very special treasure in the Library's collections.

To learn more about the Goddard broadside, visit the link in our bio.

Image: A cropped and zoomed-in image of the Goddard Declaration of Independence with Mary Katharine Goddard's name highlighted at the bottom, and an illustration of Goddard in the upper righthand corner.

Today is the 130th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which established that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution. In the Library's Prints & Photographs collection, there are many visual examples of the “separate but equal” doctrine that was in practice for more than half of the 20th century as a result.

While the high court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling ultimately declared racial segregation illegal, many states resisted compliance with the mandate for some time.

Images: Photograph shows a man entering the Crescent Theatre in Belzoni, Mississippi through the "colored" entrance. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black men stand around the outside of "Rex Billiard Hall For Colored" on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black man drinking at "colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Russell Lee, photographer. July 1939.

Photograph showing Duke Ellington swinging a bat in front of his "Duke Ellington: Mr. Hi-Fi of 1955" tour bus; sign for "Astor Motel - Colored" in background. LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Charlotte Brooks, photographer. 1955.

Today is the 130th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which established that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution. In the Library's Prints & Photographs collection, there are many visual examples of the “separate but equal” doctrine that was in practice for more than half of the 20th century as a result.

While the high court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling ultimately declared racial segregation illegal, many states resisted compliance with the mandate for some time.

Images: Photograph shows a man entering the Crescent Theatre in Belzoni, Mississippi through the "colored" entrance. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black men stand around the outside of "Rex Billiard Hall For Colored" on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black man drinking at "colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Russell Lee, photographer. July 1939.

Photograph showing Duke Ellington swinging a bat in front of his "Duke Ellington: Mr. Hi-Fi of 1955" tour bus; sign for "Astor Motel - Colored" in background. LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Charlotte Brooks, photographer. 1955.

Today is the 130th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which established that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution. In the Library's Prints & Photographs collection, there are many visual examples of the “separate but equal” doctrine that was in practice for more than half of the 20th century as a result.

While the high court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling ultimately declared racial segregation illegal, many states resisted compliance with the mandate for some time.

Images: Photograph shows a man entering the Crescent Theatre in Belzoni, Mississippi through the "colored" entrance. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black men stand around the outside of "Rex Billiard Hall For Colored" on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black man drinking at "colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Russell Lee, photographer. July 1939.

Photograph showing Duke Ellington swinging a bat in front of his "Duke Ellington: Mr. Hi-Fi of 1955" tour bus; sign for "Astor Motel - Colored" in background. LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Charlotte Brooks, photographer. 1955.

Today is the 130th anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which established that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution. In the Library's Prints & Photographs collection, there are many visual examples of the “separate but equal” doctrine that was in practice for more than half of the 20th century as a result.

While the high court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling ultimately declared racial segregation illegal, many states resisted compliance with the mandate for some time.

Images: Photograph shows a man entering the Crescent Theatre in Belzoni, Mississippi through the "colored" entrance. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black men stand around the outside of "Rex Billiard Hall For Colored" on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Marion Post Wolcott, photographer. October 1939.

Black man drinking at "colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Russell Lee, photographer. July 1939.

Photograph showing Duke Ellington swinging a bat in front of his "Duke Ellington: Mr. Hi-Fi of 1955" tour bus; sign for "Astor Motel - Colored" in background. LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Charlotte Brooks, photographer. 1955.

Legislation creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, which later became the Women's Army Corps (WAC), was signed into law on this day in 1942. The WAC's 150,000+ members were the first women other than nurses to serve in the U.S. Army.

According to the Army's Center for Military History, WAC director Oveta Culp Hobby often said, “The gaps our women will fill are in those noncombatant jobs where women’s hands and women’s hearts fit naturally. WAACs will do the same type of work which women do in civilian life. They will bear the same relation to men of the Army that they bear to the men of the civilian organizations in which they work.”

The idea was that each woman who enlisted "would be trained in a noncombatant military job and thus 'free a man for combat.'"

Of the women who joined up, there were widows, mothers and daughters of families with no men "of fighting age," according to the Army. "One out of every five had enlisted because a male member of her family was in the armed forces and she wanted to help him get home sooner."

You can hear the stories straight from the mouths of these trailblazing women on the Veteran's History Project website. Just click the link in our bio and search "Women's Auxiliary Corps."

Images: Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Gloria M. Poteet in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Audrae Marie Gandreau in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/?loclr=iloc

Legislation creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, which later became the Women's Army Corps (WAC), was signed into law on this day in 1942. The WAC's 150,000+ members were the first women other than nurses to serve in the U.S. Army.

According to the Army's Center for Military History, WAC director Oveta Culp Hobby often said, “The gaps our women will fill are in those noncombatant jobs where women’s hands and women’s hearts fit naturally. WAACs will do the same type of work which women do in civilian life. They will bear the same relation to men of the Army that they bear to the men of the civilian organizations in which they work.”

The idea was that each woman who enlisted "would be trained in a noncombatant military job and thus 'free a man for combat.'"

Of the women who joined up, there were widows, mothers and daughters of families with no men "of fighting age," according to the Army. "One out of every five had enlisted because a male member of her family was in the armed forces and she wanted to help him get home sooner."

You can hear the stories straight from the mouths of these trailblazing women on the Veteran's History Project website. Just click the link in our bio and search "Women's Auxiliary Corps."

Images: Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Gloria M. Poteet in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Audrae Marie Gandreau in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/?loclr=iloc

Legislation creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, which later became the Women's Army Corps (WAC), was signed into law on this day in 1942. The WAC's 150,000+ members were the first women other than nurses to serve in the U.S. Army.

According to the Army's Center for Military History, WAC director Oveta Culp Hobby often said, “The gaps our women will fill are in those noncombatant jobs where women’s hands and women’s hearts fit naturally. WAACs will do the same type of work which women do in civilian life. They will bear the same relation to men of the Army that they bear to the men of the civilian organizations in which they work.”

The idea was that each woman who enlisted "would be trained in a noncombatant military job and thus 'free a man for combat.'"

Of the women who joined up, there were widows, mothers and daughters of families with no men "of fighting age," according to the Army. "One out of every five had enlisted because a male member of her family was in the armed forces and she wanted to help him get home sooner."

You can hear the stories straight from the mouths of these trailblazing women on the Veteran's History Project website. Just click the link in our bio and search "Women's Auxiliary Corps."

Images: Vivian Mildred Corbett Bailey in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Gloria M. Poteet in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

Audrae Marie Gandreau in WAC uniform, from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.

https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/?loclr=iloc

ANNOUNCEMENT: Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen today named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.

The oldest recording being inducted is “Cocktails for Two,” by Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1944). The most recent is Taylor Swift’s 2014 album “1989.”

In between are beloved tunes by Paul Anka, Ray Charles, The Go-Go’s, Chaka Khan, Rosanne Cash, Weezer, Beyoncé, and more.

See the full #NatRecRegistry list via the link in our bio.

A 16-year-long effort to digitize in high resolution the 175,000 or so Farm Security Administration photographs at the Library of Congress is coming to an end, perhaps by the end of this year.

The FSA’s work (also carried out under the names of the Resettlement Administration and the Office of War Information) was intended to be daily publicity and propaganda for New Deal-era social programs that ran from 1935 to 1944. But over time, the images became some of the most iconic documentary photographs in American history, and the photographers some of the most revered.

The chemical-laden images are eight decades old and deterioration has begun to set in on some due to their age. Making digital copies is essential both for their long-term survival and for ongoing historical study. Read more about the process via the link in our bio.

Images: Helen McNamara, a digital library technician, prepares a Farm Security Administration negative for scanning. Photo: Shawn Miller.

Russell Lee took this photograph on the Southside of Chicago on Easter Sunday, 1941. It became one of the iconic photos of the Farm Security Administration’s photo program. Prints and Photographs Division.

This 1936 Dorothea Lange photo at a farm camp in Nipomo, California, became known as “Migrant Mother” and the most famous photo of the Depression. It is printed full frame here to show FSA identification markings. The woman in the photo was not identified until the 1980s. She was Florence Owens Thompson. Prints and Photographs Division.

A 16-year-long effort to digitize in high resolution the 175,000 or so Farm Security Administration photographs at the Library of Congress is coming to an end, perhaps by the end of this year.

The FSA’s work (also carried out under the names of the Resettlement Administration and the Office of War Information) was intended to be daily publicity and propaganda for New Deal-era social programs that ran from 1935 to 1944. But over time, the images became some of the most iconic documentary photographs in American history, and the photographers some of the most revered.

The chemical-laden images are eight decades old and deterioration has begun to set in on some due to their age. Making digital copies is essential both for their long-term survival and for ongoing historical study. Read more about the process via the link in our bio.

Images: Helen McNamara, a digital library technician, prepares a Farm Security Administration negative for scanning. Photo: Shawn Miller.

Russell Lee took this photograph on the Southside of Chicago on Easter Sunday, 1941. It became one of the iconic photos of the Farm Security Administration’s photo program. Prints and Photographs Division.

This 1936 Dorothea Lange photo at a farm camp in Nipomo, California, became known as “Migrant Mother” and the most famous photo of the Depression. It is printed full frame here to show FSA identification markings. The woman in the photo was not identified until the 1980s. She was Florence Owens Thompson. Prints and Photographs Division.

A 16-year-long effort to digitize in high resolution the 175,000 or so Farm Security Administration photographs at the Library of Congress is coming to an end, perhaps by the end of this year.

The FSA’s work (also carried out under the names of the Resettlement Administration and the Office of War Information) was intended to be daily publicity and propaganda for New Deal-era social programs that ran from 1935 to 1944. But over time, the images became some of the most iconic documentary photographs in American history, and the photographers some of the most revered.

The chemical-laden images are eight decades old and deterioration has begun to set in on some due to their age. Making digital copies is essential both for their long-term survival and for ongoing historical study. Read more about the process via the link in our bio.

Images: Helen McNamara, a digital library technician, prepares a Farm Security Administration negative for scanning. Photo: Shawn Miller.

Russell Lee took this photograph on the Southside of Chicago on Easter Sunday, 1941. It became one of the iconic photos of the Farm Security Administration’s photo program. Prints and Photographs Division.

This 1936 Dorothea Lange photo at a farm camp in Nipomo, California, became known as “Migrant Mother” and the most famous photo of the Depression. It is printed full frame here to show FSA identification markings. The woman in the photo was not identified until the 1980s. She was Florence Owens Thompson. Prints and Photographs Division.

On this International Nurses Day, we'd like to honor the memory of Clara Barton, Civil War nurse and the founder of the American Red Cross.

The Library of Congress is home to her papers, which span the years 1805-1958. Included are both Barton's personal papers and official records of the American Red Cross (formerly the American Association of the Red Cross) retained by her during her tenure as president from 1881 to 1904.

Born on Christmas Day in 1821, she lived to be 90 years old, and lived by her words: “You must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it.”

Image: Clara Barton, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front. Copyright 1904 by J.E. Purdy, Boston. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

The Source, a new gallery at the Library of Congress, reimagines how young people connect with history, inviting them to explore the Library’s collections and create their own meaning through hands-on discovery. Plan your visit! loc.gov/visit

On this day in 1886, Dr. John S. Pemberton, a pharmacist and inventor, sold the first Coca-Cola at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. Pemberton’s bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, coined the name. His handwriting was the basis for the Coca-Cola logo.

In the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division, the U.S. Patent Office Trademarks Collection documents the visual identity of American companies between about 1869 and 1911. Within that collection you can find the 1893 Coca-Cola trademark registration featuring the distinctive cursive, pictured here.

NEWS: This weekend, the Library of Congress will launch The Source: Where Curiosity Sparks Discovery, a first-of-its-kind experiential research gallery designed for children and teens ages 8 to 15.

The new gallery reimagines how young people connect with history, inviting them to explore the Library’s vast collections and to create their own meaning through hands-on discovery.

Through interactive stations brimming with hundreds of collection items in text, image, sound and film formats, the gallery encourages critical thinking, media literacy, curiosity and creativity.

“The Source reflects the Library of Congress’ enduring commitment to expanding access to knowledge for all Americans," said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. "By inviting young people to explore history, creativity and discovery through immersive experiences, we are not only opening our collections, but we are also encouraging critical thinking and lifelong learning."

Plan your visit at loc.gov/visit.

Images: "The Source," a new experiential research gallery for children, teens and families at the Library of Congress, is set to open to the public May 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

NEWS: This weekend, the Library of Congress will launch The Source: Where Curiosity Sparks Discovery, a first-of-its-kind experiential research gallery designed for children and teens ages 8 to 15.

The new gallery reimagines how young people connect with history, inviting them to explore the Library’s vast collections and to create their own meaning through hands-on discovery.

Through interactive stations brimming with hundreds of collection items in text, image, sound and film formats, the gallery encourages critical thinking, media literacy, curiosity and creativity.

“The Source reflects the Library of Congress’ enduring commitment to expanding access to knowledge for all Americans," said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. "By inviting young people to explore history, creativity and discovery through immersive experiences, we are not only opening our collections, but we are also encouraging critical thinking and lifelong learning."

Plan your visit at loc.gov/visit.

Images: "The Source," a new experiential research gallery for children, teens and families at the Library of Congress, is set to open to the public May 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

NEWS: This weekend, the Library of Congress will launch The Source: Where Curiosity Sparks Discovery, a first-of-its-kind experiential research gallery designed for children and teens ages 8 to 15.

The new gallery reimagines how young people connect with history, inviting them to explore the Library’s vast collections and to create their own meaning through hands-on discovery.

Through interactive stations brimming with hundreds of collection items in text, image, sound and film formats, the gallery encourages critical thinking, media literacy, curiosity and creativity.

“The Source reflects the Library of Congress’ enduring commitment to expanding access to knowledge for all Americans," said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. "By inviting young people to explore history, creativity and discovery through immersive experiences, we are not only opening our collections, but we are also encouraging critical thinking and lifelong learning."

Plan your visit at loc.gov/visit.

Images: "The Source," a new experiential research gallery for children, teens and families at the Library of Congress, is set to open to the public May 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

NEWS: This weekend, the Library of Congress will launch The Source: Where Curiosity Sparks Discovery, a first-of-its-kind experiential research gallery designed for children and teens ages 8 to 15.

The new gallery reimagines how young people connect with history, inviting them to explore the Library’s vast collections and to create their own meaning through hands-on discovery.

Through interactive stations brimming with hundreds of collection items in text, image, sound and film formats, the gallery encourages critical thinking, media literacy, curiosity and creativity.

“The Source reflects the Library of Congress’ enduring commitment to expanding access to knowledge for all Americans," said Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. "By inviting young people to explore history, creativity and discovery through immersive experiences, we are not only opening our collections, but we are also encouraging critical thinking and lifelong learning."

Plan your visit at loc.gov/visit.

Images: "The Source," a new experiential research gallery for children, teens and families at the Library of Congress, is set to open to the public May 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

On this day in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It was one of the first U.S. government programs to support the arts.

Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress's collection of more than 900 is the largest. The posters—designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs—were added to the Library's holdings in the 1940s.

Images: Poster features an illustration of a hand reaching into a bowl of assorted fruit. Text reads: "Balanced diet for the expectant mother inquire at the health bureau." New York. WPA Federal Art Project, between 1936 and 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a man walking through a wooded area. Text reads: "Hiking." Illinois WPA Art Project, 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a picnicker napping under a tree. Text reads: "Please keep the park clean." Ohio. Federal Art Project, 1937.

Poster features an illustration of two men standing close together, one inspecting a cut on the other's finger. Text reads: "Just a scratch BUT! Infection is avoided by immediate first aid on-the-job!" Illinois WPA Art Project, between 1936 and 1941.

On this day in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It was one of the first U.S. government programs to support the arts.

Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress's collection of more than 900 is the largest. The posters—designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs—were added to the Library's holdings in the 1940s.

Images: Poster features an illustration of a hand reaching into a bowl of assorted fruit. Text reads: "Balanced diet for the expectant mother inquire at the health bureau." New York. WPA Federal Art Project, between 1936 and 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a man walking through a wooded area. Text reads: "Hiking." Illinois WPA Art Project, 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a picnicker napping under a tree. Text reads: "Please keep the park clean." Ohio. Federal Art Project, 1937.

Poster features an illustration of two men standing close together, one inspecting a cut on the other's finger. Text reads: "Just a scratch BUT! Infection is avoided by immediate first aid on-the-job!" Illinois WPA Art Project, between 1936 and 1941.

On this day in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It was one of the first U.S. government programs to support the arts.

Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress's collection of more than 900 is the largest. The posters—designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs—were added to the Library's holdings in the 1940s.

Images: Poster features an illustration of a hand reaching into a bowl of assorted fruit. Text reads: "Balanced diet for the expectant mother inquire at the health bureau." New York. WPA Federal Art Project, between 1936 and 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a man walking through a wooded area. Text reads: "Hiking." Illinois WPA Art Project, 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a picnicker napping under a tree. Text reads: "Please keep the park clean." Ohio. Federal Art Project, 1937.

Poster features an illustration of two men standing close together, one inspecting a cut on the other's finger. Text reads: "Just a scratch BUT! Infection is avoided by immediate first aid on-the-job!" Illinois WPA Art Project, between 1936 and 1941.

On this day in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It was one of the first U.S. government programs to support the arts.

Of the 2,000 WPA posters known to exist, the Library of Congress's collection of more than 900 is the largest. The posters—designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs—were added to the Library's holdings in the 1940s.

Images: Poster features an illustration of a hand reaching into a bowl of assorted fruit. Text reads: "Balanced diet for the expectant mother inquire at the health bureau." New York. WPA Federal Art Project, between 1936 and 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a man walking through a wooded area. Text reads: "Hiking." Illinois WPA Art Project, 1939.

Poster features an illustration of a picnicker napping under a tree. Text reads: "Please keep the park clean." Ohio. Federal Art Project, 1937.

Poster features an illustration of two men standing close together, one inspecting a cut on the other's finger. Text reads: "Just a scratch BUT! Infection is avoided by immediate first aid on-the-job!" Illinois WPA Art Project, between 1936 and 1941.