Signs on U.S. 41, Kenosha County, Wisconsin (Stop: Cheese)

John Vachon
$85.00
Size

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details
Artist Statement

Our newest edition of John Vachon’s work, Signs on U.S. 41, Kenosha County, Wisconsin (Stop: Cheese), is more than just a command to obey that cheese-loving voice within: it’s a capture of a piece of uniquely American roadside vernacular on the brink of change. Like our other edition with the photographer, Signs on U.S. 41, Kenosha County, Wisconsin (Cheese), this dairy directive was captured in July of 1941. Commissioned by the Farm Security Administration (FSA), both photographs are part of a larger body of work intended to document the realities of everyday life during the Great Depression and the early years of American recovery. 

Why We Love It

While many FSA photographs focus on rural poverty or agricultural labor, Vachon’s image turns its attention to the growing culture of roadside commerce, an emerging facet of American identity shaped by the automobile and then-expanding highway system. This piece foreshadows the homogenization of American roadside culture—before the corporate chains, branding standards, and mass-produced signage replaced these handmade appeals. In Signs on U.S. 41, Kenosha County, Wisconsin (Stop: Cheese), Vachon not only makes you want to get some gouda, it preserves a fleeting visual moment when small-scale American enterprise, fueled by individual flair and hand-painted hope, beckoned travelers and defined the landscape of the open road. The delectable piece is proto-pop art at its finest.

Details

+ Limited-edition, exclusive to 20x200
+ 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.

Medium

Innova Exhibition Photo Baryta


8"x10" | Edition of 10
11"x14" | Edition of 200
16"x20" | Edition of 25
20"x24" | Edition of 10
30"x40" | Edition of 5
Artist - John Vachon

John Vachon

John Vachon (1914-1975), was an American photographer most known for his work with the Farm Security Administration. His interest in photography started when he worked as a file clerk at the FSA, and grew as he was mentored by Roy Stryker, who launched the FSA photography program, and legendary photographers Walker Evans and Arthur Rothstein. Throughout his career and through thousands of images, Vachon captured the essence of agricultural life in the midwest.