1960's J. R. R. TOLKIEN. Superb Enamel on Copper of Hobbiton Crafted in an American Interracial Peace Colony.

A wonderful, whimsical artifact underscoring and embodying the deep connection felt in America between Tolkien's works and the emerging counter-cultural movements of the 1960's who longed for a simpler time, and a better land, and love between people with the eradication of the dynamic of power. 

Following the release of the Ballantine paperback editions in 1965, J. R. R. Tolkien’s works became central texts for the American youth counterculture, civil rights advocates, anti-war activists, and back-to-the-land communards. By the late 1960s his works were outselling the Bible in some student contexts, with buttons, T-shirts, and graffiti reading “Frodo Lives,” “Go Go Gandalf,” and “Gandalf for President.” The books became a kind of shared mythic language among students, anti-war activists, civil-rights supporters, environmentalists, and people experimenting with communal living. Middle-earth was widely interpreted through the political lens of the Vietnam War era, where Sauron and Saruman represented the military-industrial complex, environmental devastation, and authoritarian state power, while Hobbiton and the Shire represented a peaceful, agrarian vision of society rooted in harmony with nature, simple living, hospitality, and shared community solidarity.

For an artist living and creating at Skyview Acres during this era, Hobbiton would have served as a powerful metaphor for the community's founding vision and the broader social movements of the time. Founded in the late 1940s in Rockland County as a pioneering cooperative, racially integrated community, Skyview Acres prioritized collaborative homebuilding, mutual aid, social justice, and artistic expression. In this context, depicting Hobbiton was not merely illustrating fantasy, but something of a visual philosophy, depicting an idealized village model free from corporate greed, industrial pollution, and social hierarchy. Furthermore, the Shire's unassuming hobbits symbolized a peaceful, inclusive community that must remain vigilant against external tyranny, mirroring the struggles of an interracial enclave standing against racial segregation, war, and political oppression in mid-century America. Tolkien's story arc of ordinary hobbits uniting to reclaim their polluted homeland in "The Scouring of the Shire" resonated deeply with 1960s activists as a parable for civic organizing against environmental degradation and institutional corruption. 

The work itself is enamel on copper, measuring 12 x 12 inches, and 15 x 15 inches to the outside of the frame. It is in a very good state and bears a label on the rear, "Julia Glicken. Skyview Acres. Pomonia, New York"

Frame with some light wear and rubbing at extremities. A singular example, 1 or 1.