The National Park Service was 19 years old when the Federal Art Project started, and visitation numbers were much lower than they are now. After the Depression and with a crude highway system, Americans were unlikely to go out of their way to public lands. So the F.A.P. offered ways to advertise the parks and provide visitors with educational materials showing their value.

Thirteen N.P.S. sites, including Zion, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, ordered posters from a catalog sent out by the Western Museum Laboratories, a work space for several W.P.A.-funded projects, and got at least 100 copies apiece. A white box appears on many of the prints, where employees could post notices about offerings like guided hikes.