Description
What it is
This is the Jewel Cave National Monument design from Ranger Doug’s park-poster series, sold as a full-size hand-pulled serigraph. It is drawn in the style of the Works Progress Administration park posters of 1938 to 1941 and printed the same way, by hand on a silkscreen, not digitally or by offset. It is a Ranger Doug original in the WPA tradition for Jewel Cave.
About the design
The “Discovery in the darkness, guided cave tours by lantern light” artwork shows a small group exploring the cave by lantern, with the formations glowing gold against deep blue rock. The corner notes call out features visitors see underground: nailhead spar, stalactites, flowstone, and low narrow passages. It evokes the lantern tours that are still part of the Jewel Cave experience today.
About Ranger Doug
Doug Leen is a former Grand Teton climbing ranger and retired Seattle dentist who has spent decades restoring and reproducing the WPA national park posters. In 1971 he rescued a Grand Teton print headed for a park burn pile, and in 1993 he started Ranger Doug’s Enterprises. Every poster, including this Jewel Cave design, is hand-pulled using the silkscreen process, the same method the original WPA artists used.
About the monument
Jewel Cave was established as a national monument in 1908 and is the third-longest cave in the world, with more than 220 miles of surveyed passage and the survey still growing. It sits in the Black Hills of South Dakota and is named for the calcite crystals lining its walls. Rangers lead a range of tours, including the candlelit Historic Lantern Tour that this poster’s lantern-light scene calls to mind.
Specifications
- Image size: 13 1/2″ x 18 1/8″
- Border: varies by edition (measure before ordering a frame)
- Printing method: hand-pulled silkscreen (serigraph)
- Made in: USA (Ranger Doug’s Enterprises, Seattle WA)
- Price: $50
Who is this for
Jewel Cave visitors who want park art with character, and collectors of the WPA park-poster look. The lantern-tour scene is a good match for anyone who has taken the Historic Lantern Tour. At 13 1/2″ x 18 1/8″ it fits standard poster frames once you confirm the border size for your print.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a reproduction of an original 1938 WPA poster?
No. Jewel Cave was not one of the 14 parks that received an official WPA poster in the 1938 to 1941 program. This is a Ranger Doug design drawn in the WPA poster tradition for Jewel Cave and hand-pulled by the same silkscreen method.
How is it printed?
It is a hand-pulled silkscreen serigraph, made one pull at a time rather than printed digitally or by offset press.
What size frame do I need?
The image is 13 1/2″ x 18 1/8″, but the border varies by print run. Ranger Doug recommends measuring your specific print before buying a frame.
Does buying this support the monument?
BHPFA is the official nonprofit partner of Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, as well as the Black Hills National Forest and Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands. Proceeds from every purchase support education programs, conservation projects, and visitor services at these sites.
