Employment Office

Art Historical Context

**Employment Office**, a poignant lithograph by Jolan Bettelheim created between 1935 and 1936, captures the stark realities of the Depression. Produced under the (Works Progress Administration) New York Project New Deal initiative that employed thousands of artists amid widespread unemployment—this print reflects the era's economic desperation. Bettelheim's work likely depicts men and women gathered at an employment office, symbolizing universal struggle for jobs during one of America's darkest periods, when over 25% of the workforce was jobless. As a lithograph, the piece employs a versatile printmaking technique where images are drawn on a flat stone or metal plate with greasy crayon or ink, allowing for subtle tonal variations and mass reproduction. This medium was ideal for WPA artists, enabling affordable distribution of socially conscious art to the public. Measuring a modest 11 × 8½ inches on the plate, it exemplifies the movement's social realism style—direct, unflinching portrayals of everyday life that aimed to foster empathy and awareness. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the WPA in 1943), *Employment Office* stands as a vital document of 1930s America. It reminds visitors of art's power to humanize history, bridging personal hardship with collective resilience.

About the Artist

Jolan Gross Bettelheim|WPA (American| ) · 1900 | –1972 |

American, Hungary 1900–1972 Budapest|