6x24 inches | ready to hang
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper on stained maple panel
$495

The Jobs of Yesteryear series combines history and surrealism to tell the stories of obsolete jobs. A contemporary glimpse into the past, these mixed media paintings serve as a reminder of a time and stories long forgotten.

This particular Job of Yesteryear mixed media painting features a book woman. Book women were employed during the Great Depression to deliver books and the gift of literacy to rural Appalachia. As part of the New Deal, The Pack Horse Library Project employed 274 librarians at its peak in 1938. These women would ride over 100 miles per week no matter the weather or terrain, delivering books to rural families and giving reading lessons. The program was discontinued in 1943 as the economy rebounded, but it eventually led to book mobiles and the free libraries you see in many neighborhoods today.

The Book Woman III was created with acrylic paint, and the long-limbed character was cut from paper and collaged with kraft paper. The Jobs of Yesteryear are thought-provoking conversation pieces that will bring an air of history and whimsy to any room.