Collection Convergence
Searching through the Wolfsonian collection one discovers that nothing exists in isolation. This interactive offers an opportunity to see and learn about library materials (books, periodicals, and ephemera) and objects within the collection and how they intersect through various themes.
Touch the images to explore
World at Work
Blue
Passion for Fashion
Let There Be Light
World at Work
Notions and patterns of work evolved dramatically between 1850 and 1950 as agrarian societies gave way to industrial and urban development. The machine age also transformed gendered work as new products (like sewing and washing machines) transformed work in the farm and home and as women joined factory workforces. Ironically, even as the Great Depression of the 1930s resulted in record unemployment, lockouts, and strikes, artists commissioned and paid by government agencies created artwork celebrating “the worker.” Touch the images to explore
World at Work
In a parody of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Hugo Gellert created a satirical portfolio of plates denouncing Capitalist exploitation during the Great Depression. An unapologetic member of the Communist Party of the United States, Gellert’s caption and reworking of photographs celebrating skyscraper ironworkers reframed the scene to depict an unemployed and stranded worker dangling perilously from a crane. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Image Caption
World at Work
Millions of women across the globe worked at home making clothing and other items with sewing machines, like this New Home model. Other women worked in sweat shops that paid low hourly wages and provided few or no breaks in a system of compensation based on the quantity they produced. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
World at Work
This sculpture depicts a man and woman in typical gendered work—the woman sewing and the man riveting. This piece, produced by a Federal Art Project artist, celebrated work while the Roosevelt administration created jobs for the unemployed. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
World at Work
This sculpture depicts a man and woman in typical gendered work—the woman sewing and the man riveting. This piece, produced by a Federal Art Project artist, celebrated work while the Roosevelt administration created jobs for the unemployed. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Passion for Fashion
The modern age witnessed the decline of homespun and home-sewn clothes and their replacement with fashionable garments. Twentieth century consumers increasingly wore clothing created by designers, made from both natural and synthetic fibers, sewn by seamstresses working in factories and sweatshops, and sold in shops and department stores. Touch the images to explore
Passion for Fashion
The Royal tailor shop applied names like the “Regis,” the “Rockefeller,” and the “Millionaire” to their suits marketed to dapper young men and businessmen. The catalog included actual fabric swatches to help their clients with wardrobe design decisions. Touch images to see full screen.
Image Caption
Passion for Fashion
One of a set of humorous postcards designed to honor the U.S. Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, this card praises women for forgoing fashion in favor of a military uniform. Women’s uniforms were differentiated from those of their male comrades in arms with the substitution of skirts for pants to conform to stereotypical gender expectations. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Passion for Fashion
The fashionable clothing and background of the African American mother and child depicted in this Depression-era painting establishes the subject as a woman of class and taste. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Blue
The color blue was a rare and precious color for millennia, associated with peace, sadness, royalty, and purity. Touch the images to explore
Blue
The National Recovery Administration, an agency created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, used a blue eagle as its symbol. Participating businesses displayed the symbol to show that they agreed to the National Recovery Act’s codes and fair competition standards. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Blue
The striking blue semi-precious stone lapis lazuli has long appeared in jewelry and clothing. This features four lapis stones, including a shield-shaped one flanked by angels. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Blue
Blueprints are copies of technical drawings made using photosensitive chemicals that change color when exposed to light. Different processes resulted in varying hues, and this example was produced using the diazo process, which created a deeper shade of blue. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Let There be Light
Before electricity, humanity relied on firelight, candles, and oil and gas lamps. Their replacement with electric lighting in the late 19th century profoundly transformed visibility, productivity, and human experience. Touch the images to explore
Let There Be Light
Large generators like this Edison dynamo powered early electrical networks. By supplying steady current to entire districts, they made it possible for towns and cities to adopt incandescent light on a large scale. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Let There Be Light
This commercial display promoted the reliability and convenience of electric lamps. By the 1920s, incandescent bulbs had become everyday products—stocked and sold to consumers in hardware stores. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Let There Be Light
Philips’ introduced a new bulb containing argon, a noble gas that extended the life of the lightbulb and improved efficiency. This advertisement visualizes the product’s slogan: “as bright as the sun,” showing bats and vampires driven away by the brilliance of the modern bulb. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Collection Convergence_concept
Department - Florida International Un...
Created on February 25, 2026
Start designing with a free template
Discover more than 1500 professional designs like these:
View
Practical Interactive Image
View
Akihabara Square Interactive Image
View
Akihabara Interactive Image
View
Essential Interactive Image
View
Interactive Team Image
View
Image with Audio
View
Image with interactive hotspots
Explore all templates
Transcript
Collection Convergence
Searching through the Wolfsonian collection one discovers that nothing exists in isolation. This interactive offers an opportunity to see and learn about library materials (books, periodicals, and ephemera) and objects within the collection and how they intersect through various themes.
Touch the images to explore
World at Work
Blue
Passion for Fashion
Let There Be Light
World at Work
Notions and patterns of work evolved dramatically between 1850 and 1950 as agrarian societies gave way to industrial and urban development. The machine age also transformed gendered work as new products (like sewing and washing machines) transformed work in the farm and home and as women joined factory workforces. Ironically, even as the Great Depression of the 1930s resulted in record unemployment, lockouts, and strikes, artists commissioned and paid by government agencies created artwork celebrating “the worker.” Touch the images to explore
World at Work
In a parody of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Hugo Gellert created a satirical portfolio of plates denouncing Capitalist exploitation during the Great Depression. An unapologetic member of the Communist Party of the United States, Gellert’s caption and reworking of photographs celebrating skyscraper ironworkers reframed the scene to depict an unemployed and stranded worker dangling perilously from a crane. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Image Caption
World at Work
Millions of women across the globe worked at home making clothing and other items with sewing machines, like this New Home model. Other women worked in sweat shops that paid low hourly wages and provided few or no breaks in a system of compensation based on the quantity they produced. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
World at Work
This sculpture depicts a man and woman in typical gendered work—the woman sewing and the man riveting. This piece, produced by a Federal Art Project artist, celebrated work while the Roosevelt administration created jobs for the unemployed. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
World at Work
This sculpture depicts a man and woman in typical gendered work—the woman sewing and the man riveting. This piece, produced by a Federal Art Project artist, celebrated work while the Roosevelt administration created jobs for the unemployed. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Passion for Fashion
The modern age witnessed the decline of homespun and home-sewn clothes and their replacement with fashionable garments. Twentieth century consumers increasingly wore clothing created by designers, made from both natural and synthetic fibers, sewn by seamstresses working in factories and sweatshops, and sold in shops and department stores. Touch the images to explore
Passion for Fashion
The Royal tailor shop applied names like the “Regis,” the “Rockefeller,” and the “Millionaire” to their suits marketed to dapper young men and businessmen. The catalog included actual fabric swatches to help their clients with wardrobe design decisions. Touch images to see full screen.
Image Caption
Passion for Fashion
One of a set of humorous postcards designed to honor the U.S. Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, this card praises women for forgoing fashion in favor of a military uniform. Women’s uniforms were differentiated from those of their male comrades in arms with the substitution of skirts for pants to conform to stereotypical gender expectations. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Passion for Fashion
The fashionable clothing and background of the African American mother and child depicted in this Depression-era painting establishes the subject as a woman of class and taste. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Blue
The color blue was a rare and precious color for millennia, associated with peace, sadness, royalty, and purity. Touch the images to explore
Blue
The National Recovery Administration, an agency created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, used a blue eagle as its symbol. Participating businesses displayed the symbol to show that they agreed to the National Recovery Act’s codes and fair competition standards. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Blue
The striking blue semi-precious stone lapis lazuli has long appeared in jewelry and clothing. This features four lapis stones, including a shield-shaped one flanked by angels. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Blue
Blueprints are copies of technical drawings made using photosensitive chemicals that change color when exposed to light. Different processes resulted in varying hues, and this example was produced using the diazo process, which created a deeper shade of blue. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Let There be Light
Before electricity, humanity relied on firelight, candles, and oil and gas lamps. Their replacement with electric lighting in the late 19th century profoundly transformed visibility, productivity, and human experience. Touch the images to explore
Let There Be Light
Large generators like this Edison dynamo powered early electrical networks. By supplying steady current to entire districts, they made it possible for towns and cities to adopt incandescent light on a large scale. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Let There Be Light
This commercial display promoted the reliability and convenience of electric lamps. By the 1920s, incandescent bulbs had become everyday products—stocked and sold to consumers in hardware stores. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption
Let There Be Light
Philips’ introduced a new bulb containing argon, a noble gas that extended the life of the lightbulb and improved efficiency. This advertisement visualizes the product’s slogan: “as bright as the sun,” showing bats and vampires driven away by the brilliance of the modern bulb. Touch image to see full screen.
Image Caption