For a richer, fuller life wake up and read, Vintage Edition

The earliest National Library Week launched in March of 1958. It was the first nationwide effort to promote the personal and national importance of libraries and literacy. The motivation for the nationwide observance came from a survey taken the year prior, which showed that only 17% of Americans polled were currently reading a book. Since the first celebration, many campaigns have been run with the inaugural motto, “Wake Up and Read!“, like this piece from 1961’s National Library Week.

For National Library Week that year, President John F. Kennedy, Jr. had the following to say: “Books and libraries and the will to use them are among the most important tools our nation has to diffuse knowledge and to develop our powers of creative wisdom… The community public library is one of the richest and more enduring aspects of our historical heritage.” We can think of another important tool with the same strengths—art.

This image was designed on behalf of 1961’s National Library Week. At the time, President John F. Kennedy, Jr. had the following to say: “Books and libraries and the will to use them are among the most important tools our nation has to diffuse knowledge and to develop our powers of creative wisdom… The community public library is one of the richest and more enduring aspects of our historical heritage.” ... Read more on the blog!

+ Museum quality: archival inks, 100% cotton rag paper unless noted
+ Handcrafted custom-framing is available

Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.

Museo Portfolio Rag

Edition Structure:
10"x8" | edition of 20
14"x11" | edition of 200
20"x16" | edition of 50
30"x24" | edition of 10

For our Vintage Editions series, our curators scour historical archives for both timeless classics and heretofore unseen gems. These images come back to life as exhibition-quality prints now available to everyone. As a bonus, purchasing equals patronage: sales from Vintage Edition prints go towards supporting our growing roster of artists.

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For a richer, fuller life wake up and read

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