4 of 36 Joseph Binder (1898–1972) New York World's Fair 1939, 1939 photomechanical lithograph 77.7 x 50.5 cm (30 5/8 x 19 7/8 in.) National Museum of American History Archives Center, Smithsonian Institution photographed by Larry Gates Detail | American Events | Designed to Sell | | Advice to Americans | Patriotic Persuasion | Image Index |

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Biography of Joseph Binder

Born in Vienna and trained as a painter at the Kunstgewerbeschüle, Joseph Binder's early designs won numerous international competitions that placed his posters in public spaces throughout Europe. A leader in the emerging field of graphic design, Binder felt that posters were "an expression of contemporary civilization reduced to its simplest forms for instantaneous visual communication." In 1933 Binder was invited to serve as a graphic arts lecturer at the Art Institute of Chicago, and within the next few years moved to the United States permanently. He won numerous awards for his poster designs, including national competitions sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art, the United States Navy, the United Nations, the Red Cross, and the 1939 New York Worlds Fair.

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