{"product_id":"1960s-j-r-r-tolkien-hobbiton","title":"1960's J. R. R. TOLKIEN. Superb Enamel on Copper of Hobbiton Crafted in an American Interracial Peace Colony.","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"0\"\u003eA 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"0\"\u003eFollowing 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. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eBy 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"1\"\u003eFor 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrame with some light wear and rubbing at extremities. A singular example, 1 or 1. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Specs Fine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67654518865956,"sku":null,"price":2250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0093\/3910\/9435\/files\/10-13-2026SpecsFineBooks-91.jpg?v=1791928673","url":"https:\/\/specsfinebooks.com\/products\/1960s-j-r-r-tolkien-hobbiton","provider":"Specs Fine Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}