Dan Rico
American, 1912-1985
Subway Drillers, 1937

Although he gained fame as a comic-book artist during the 1940s and 1950s, Rico was a respected woodcut artist who participated in multiple exhibits during the 1930s after training under Hendrick Glintenkamp, among others. Many of Rico's WPA woodcuts portray Americans at work, part of the agency's emphasis on everyday life and workers. Tunneling to build railroads and subways remained one of the most dangerous jobs in industry, and these workers, like John Henry of rail legend, were powerful symbols of the costs and consequences of modern systems.

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