Pixelating America

Noted retired School Librarian Laura Bush and her spouse recently announced free distribution of the “Picturing America” trading cards series, “40 iconic images” that kids will love to collect and use for gambling. The National Endowment for the Humanities produces free matching wallpaper and PowerPoint images to cheer up our failing schools and growing juvenile prisons.

I regret to say the series includes the boring “Landsdowne Subdivision” portrait of George Washington rather than the “Rockin’ With George” version preferred by artist Gilbert Stuart (above). Nutrition police have banned bubblegum from the card packs. I ask you, what could be more “iconically American” than bubblegum?

To view other images in the series, go to the website. Kids: you know these tired pix will be on those tests you take as part of No Child Left Behind, tests that started this week and will continue through June, saving your teachers the trouble of having to do any actual teaching for the last third of the school year.

Image by Mike Licht, Gibson Guitars, and Gilbert “Whammy Bar” Stuart. Download it free here (Creative Commons license; Credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com).