A Virtual Road Trip: Charley Harper’s National Park Posters

Ten illustrations created by the artist Charley Harper for a series of national parks posters inspired this virtual exhibition. Harpers Ferry Center commissioned the illustrations in the mid-1970s, shortly after the center opened on a hillside overlooking the Shenandoah River in West Virginia. The National Park Service built the center to house designers, writers, mapmakers, conservators, filmmakers, and others who would bring creativity and coherence to national park media. A flagship graphic design project of the center, the posters had a lasting influence on the NPS graphic identity and shaped Harper's legacy.

For more than a decade, Harper traveled the United States gaining inspiration for his illustrations. The feature below explores Harper's life and work.