The Two Hundredth Anniversary of George Washington's Inauguration
1989
Designer
Milton Glaser
Designer
Chermayeff & Geismar Associates
Publisher
New York City Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution
DIMENSIONS
36 1/4 x 24 in. (92.1 x 61 cm)
OBJECT NUMBER
PH.2025.1525
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
United States
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Mirko Ilić
KEYWORDS
Entertainment, Festival, Fireworks, Man, Political, Portrait, President, White

In his poster for New York City’s celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration, Glaser suggests both the dignity of the nation’s first president and a a sense of festivity in this sober portrait profile outlined in colorful stars and set about with fireworks against the night sky. During the celebrations, a lookalike actor reenacted Washington’s swearing in at Federal Hall, watched by President George Bush, the descendants of many other presidents, and a crowd of thousands; the two-day event also included a 50-gun salute, a parade, a Presidential Ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and a flotilla of ships and boats in New York Harbor.

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