Curatorial Narrative The enigmatic “Good times Wm. H. Taft” exists at the confluence of art historical movements, its creation likely dating to around 1908. By eschewing traditional brushwork in favor of a more graphic, almost stencil-like application of color, the anonymous artist taps into the avant-garde’s penchant for simplification and abstraction. The image presents an architectural subject, its facsimile rendered with precise lines and flat areas of color that evoke the bold signage and advertisements of early 20th-century urban centers. The palette, dominated by red, white, and blue, instills a sense of nationalistic fervor, while also nodding to the art nouveau’s emphasis on expressive line and dynamic movement. When enlarged to its dimensions of approximately 44×65 inches, “Good times Wm. H. Taft” assumes a commanding presence, its graphic elements coalescing into a rich spatial rhythm that navigates between flatness and