The Home Front During World War II

Miguel Covarrubias (1904-1957)
[Train crowded with service men and women
and a large U.S. flag], 1943
Gouache on paper board
Prints & Photographs Division (73.6)

In this striking image, couples, family groups, and men and women in uniform, move through the monumental interior of New York City's Penn Station, illuminated by glowing lights and the bright backdrop of a huge American flag hanging within an arched niche. Using dynamic forms, color, and composition, Mexican caricaturist Miguel Covarrubias evokes an atmosphere of wartime drama.