JOHN ATHERTON (1900-1952) AMERICA HAS PLENTY IF IT IS USED WISELY! 1943. 36x24 inches. 91 1/2x61 cm. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. Condition B+: time-staining in upper left image and text; minor foxing and staining in lower corners and image; minor creases along vertical and horizontal folds. Paper. Atherton was a graphic designer and a surrealist painter. He is best remembered for his poster promoting the 1939 New York World's Fair, and his award-winning "Buy a Share in America" poster from 1941. He went on to design many covers for The Saturday Evening Post, Fortune and Holiday. This image, with America's resources arrayed on a flag whose perspective leads the viewer's eye towards the rifle and military equipment in the foreground, is a gem of American mid-century design. For a government publication, which by definition would have been produced in very large numbers, this poster is uncommon.
