On this day in 1948 President Truman signed the Marshall Plan. Crafted by Secretary of State, George C. Marshall, the initiative granted $5 billion in U.S. aid to European nations devastated by WWII. In 1950 the Economic Cooperative Administration, the administering agency of the Marshall Plan, held a poster competition centered on the theme of "Intra-European Cooperation for a Better Standard of Living". Of the 10,000 submissions, 25 posters were selected to be published. The top 3 are pictured here. Image credits: 1. Reyn Dirksen, All Our Colours to the Mask (Rotterdam, Netherlands: Kühn & Zoon Rotterdam, ca. 1950). Gift of Richard W. Cheek. 2. Pierre Gauchat, Coopération InterEuropéenne: Prospérité InterEuropéenne (Rotterdam, Netherlands: Kühn & Zoon Rotterdam, ca. 1950). Gift of Richard W. Cheek. 3. Alfredo Lalia, Pour S'elever et Vivre Mieux (Hague, Netherlands: Mouton CY, ca. 1950) Gift of Richard W. Cheek. #LibrariesOfInstagram #LibrariesOfTheWorld #LibrariesMatter #WWII #WorldWar2 #MarshallPlan #Posters #GraphicDesign #European #ReynDirksen #PierreGauchat #AlfredoLalia #USAid #Alliances #OTD #HarryTruman #EconomicCooperativeAdministration #IGLibraries #BostonAthenaeum #AthenaeumCommunity #BACommunity #HistoricBuildings #CuriosityWelcome #SpecialCollections #SocialNetworks #MembershipLibraries #StayCurious #Allies #AlliedForces (fb)

Celebrate the joy of looking at art on International Slow Art Day this Saturday, April 5, at the Boston Athenaeum. First floor admission will be free to all, with four guided viewing sessions throughout the day. Learn more about artists Allan Rohan Crite and Polly Thayer Starr from our staff and docents, or reflect on a piece of art all on your own. We hope you'll join us! Registration is required for guided viewing sessions; learn more via the link in our bio. Top images (L-R) - "Late Afternoon," Allan Rohan Crite, 1934, oil on canvas - "Marble Players," Allan Rohan Crite, 1938, oil on canvas Bottom images (L-R) - "Harriet and Leon," Allan Rohan Crite, 1941, oil on canvas - "Self-Portrait," Polly Thayer Starr, 1943, oil on canvas (fb)