Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA) Sites

This egg-tempera-on-gesso mural was painted by Marion Gilmore in 1941. From When Tillage Begins: The Stone City Art Colony and School: "Gilmore won the WPA commission to produce a mural for the town of Corning, Iowa. The jury, led by former Stone City faculty member Edward Rowan, demanded that Gilmore's image only contain actual architecture and landmarks in the downtown district. Her mural, 'Band Concert,' won the federal-sponsored Forty-Eight States design competition of 1939 and depicts a summer band concert in a small, Iowa community. Upon its completion, Rowan demanded that Gilmore remove two objects (a cannon and an obelisk) from...

The New Deal mural “Volunteer Fire Department” was painted by Marion Gilmore in 1942. Gilmore also won the Forty-Eight States design competition of 1939 for her mural Band Concert," for the town of Corning, Iowa. From When Tillage Begins: The Stone City Art Colony and School: "A lifelong resident of Ottumwa, Iowa, Marion Gilmore... pursued art studies at the Art Students League and the Phoenix Art Institute, where she focused on commercial art. At the latter, Gilmore studied from 1931-32 under Norman Rockwell and other popular artists." (projects.mtmercy.edu)

Charles B. Rogers painted this mural, entitled "Autumn Colors," in 1941 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the Council Grove post office lobby.

"The lobby's most prominent feature is a mural on the upper portion of the east wall. It was painted by G. Glenn Newell, an artist and dairy farmer from Duchess County, New York, and installed by post office workers in May 1940. The piece depicts a wagon train beginning to ford a stream. The lead wagon dominates the scene with other wagons visible in the background, along with local landmark Crow Butte… The edifice's mural, titled "The Crossing" and painted by G. Glenn Newell, was one of hundreds commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts in the late 1930s and early...

"Indiana Agriculture" is a post office mural completed by Frank Long in 1942 under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The size of the mural is  16' x 5'1"and the medium is oil on canvas.

Mural entitled "Iowa Farming" painted in 1937 by Richard Haines. "Richard Haines was born here in 1906. His parents, Fred and Hattie, were pioneer farmers at the turn of the century and Richard began sketching scenes of cows and the countryside as a child. His natural born skills were sufficient to win him a scholarship at the Minneapolis School of Art, where, upon graduation, he was hired as a professor. Haines was not content with the limited artistic styles offered there, so he enrolled in the L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in France... As a result of his exposure to the fine arts...

The historic post office in Crestline, Ohio houses an example of New Deal artwork: "The Crossroads—Crestline, Ohio" by Gifford Beal, a Treasury Section of Fine Arts-sponsored oil-on-canvas mural.

Marion Greenwood painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "The Partnership of Man and Nature," in 1940 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Originally located in the town's New Deal post office, it was moved to this location when the post office moved.

"From Such Beginnings Sprang the County of Lake, Indiana" is a mural created for the Crown Point, Indiana post office completed by George Melville Smith in 1938. The size of the mural is  11'10" x 4'8"and the medium is oil on canvas.

The oil-on-canvas mural "Extending the Frontier in Northwest Territory," painted by Allan Thomas, was funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and installed in the lobby of the Crystal Falls, Michigan post office in 1938.

A mural by Henry La Cagnina, created under the Treasury Bureau's Section of Fine Arts program, was completed and installed in the post office in 1943 at a cost of $700.00. "Harvest" illustrated the important truck farming industry in the Crystal Springs, Mississippi area in the 1930s (Enzweiler, 1992). La Cagnina's mural featured farm workers and women packers preparing vegetables for shipment. Crystal Springs was known as the "tomatroplis of the world" during that period, and shipped vegetables all over the US via train, apparently providing employment and income that benefitted the community during the years of the Great Depression (Nelson-Easley,...

In 1941, George Samerjan painted a 12' x 10' tempera mural titled "Studio Lot" for the Culver City, CA, post office. It was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts (SFA). Samerjan was inspired by the MGM studios located in Culver City. "The scene depicts a film stage, as is evident by the framing that is visible behind the house façade and the support that attaches the tree limb to the base in the foreground. initially wanted to paint the behind-the-scenes workers who create movies, such as script researchers, machine shop mechanics, and the projection crew. After pushback from MGM,...

"The Arrival of the Mail in Culver" is a post office mural completed by Jessie Hull Mayer in 1938 under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The size of the mural is 10'6"x 4'6" and the medium is oil on canvas.

The historic Cuthbert post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Last Indian Troubles in Randolph County—1836," painted in 1939 by Carlo Ciampaglia.

The historic Danvers post office contains an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts-funded oil painting titled, "Return of Timothy Pickering to Reside at Danvers," which can be seen in the lobby. It was painted by Dunbar Beck in 1939.

This Section-funded 4.5' x 12' oil on canvas mural entitled “Cotton Growing, Manufacture and Export” was painted for the Dardanelle post office by Ludwig Mactarian in 1939. “Ludwig Mactarian was commissioned for $660 to create a mural for Dardanelle, Arkansas on the basis of merit of the design in the San Antonio, Texas Competition. Mactarian was unable to visit Dardanelle due to financial restrictions. He thus relied on images he found in the New York Public Library and on correspondence with Dardanelle.s postmaster, Joe D. Gault. From these sources, Mactarian was able to compose a mural that portrayed the importance of...

The post office contains a Section funded mural entitled “Wildlife Conservation in Arkansas” painted for the De Queen post office in 1942 by Henry Simon. “Henry Simon was commissioned $750 to create a mural for De Queen, Arkansas on the basis of competent designs submitted in the San Francisco, California, Post Office, Ricon Annex, Mural Competition. His initial sketch comprised a logging scene, however, this composition was discarded when the town expressed concern that Simon was focusing one only one of the areas many industries. Instead, of attempting to incorporate all of the communities facets of production, Simon chose to compose...

"New Deal mural entitled "Shucking Corn" painted by DeWitt native John Bloom, in 1938. The old post office building now houses City Hall." (flickr)

"New Deal mural entitled "James and Granville Stuart Prospecting in Deer Lodge Valley—1858" painted by Verona Burkhard in 1939. She also painted murals for the Powell WY and Kings Mountain, NC post offices."

This mural entitled "Scene of Town" was painted in 1942 by Thomas I. Laughlin. It was a winner of the Treasury Section's 48-State competition. It was moved to the "new" post office in 1989.

The historic Delhi post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: a 1940 mural by artist Mary Earley titled "Down-Rent War, Around 1845." The mural was a winner of the New Deal 48-State Competition Post Office murals.

The historic post office building in Delmar, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "The Indian Ladder" painted in 1940 by Sol Wilson.

A Section of Fine Arts-sponsored mural entitled "Mountains and Yucca" was painted by Kenneth M. Adams and installed in the Deming, New Mexico post office in 1937. "Originally Andrew Drasburg, a Taos artist, was selected to do the mural for this post office. Unfortunately his poor health kept him from working in the hot climate found in Deming, so when he declined the opportunity he recommended they use Kenneth M. Adams instead. His recommendation was accepted and a pure landscape was done in 1937 by Kenneth M. Adams (1892-1966). Yucca and other local vegetation can be seen in the foreground, while...

The historic post office in Dennison, Ohio houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Passenger Pigeon," a Treasury of Fine Arts-commissioned oil-on-canvas mural by Edmund J. Sawyer. The work was completed and installed in the post office lobby in 1940.

The historic post office building in Depew, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Beginning of the Day," painted by Anne Poor in 1941.

Three panel Treasury Section mural entitled "Portrait of Contemporary DeWitt" painted by William Traher in 1941. "William Traher was commissioned $750 to create a mural for DeWitt, Arkansas on the basis of competent designs submitted in the 1939, 48-States Mural Competition. He visited the community and noted the quiet nature of the town. Because of this unique disposition he determined that a matter-of-fact composition, capturing DeWitt just as it existed, would be the most fitting. While visiting, Traher made miniature sketches of the people and the community, which he used later to piece the mural together in his studio. The murals depict...

The post office contains a 1941 Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural by Joe Jones entitled "Husking Corn." This is an excellent mural showing farmers harvesting and husking corn.  The dominant feature is the men working with lots of movement and wearing work clothes.  The corn is important, but could be any commodity.  He is celebrating the workers, very much in keeping with his strong political beliefs. Joe Jones was largely self-taught and won an award in 1931 which enabled him to travel to the artists colony in Provincetown, MA.  He was highly political and after becoming communist, was shunned by many...

Elizabeth Lochrie painted an oil-on-canvas mural, entitled "News from the States," which was installed in the Dillon, Montana post office in 1938. The mural was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Lochrie also painted murals for the post offices in St Anthony and Burley, Idaho 

"James Newell had produced several public murals by 1940 when the U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts commissioned him to create a mural for the post office in Dolgeville, New York. He researched the history of Dolgeville before designing a mural for the post office. As he read about the Mohawk Valley, he wrote that he had found “some of the most interesting and exciting material I have ever looked into.” He decided to paint a scene of an abolitionist farmer helping escaped slaves as day breaks at Brockett Farm, one of the two Underground Railroad stops near Dolgeville....

The Dover-Foxcroft post office features this mural, "River Driving", by Barrie Barstow Greenbie (1920-1988). Greenbie was trained at the Corcoran School of Art in New York, and this was his first job.  Painted in 1940, it made Greenbie possibly the youngest artist ever commissioned by the Work Projects Administration (WPA), according to a University of Massachusetts website entry on his life.  However, it is more likely that the mural was painted under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, not the WPA.  

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts mural "Chicago, Railroad Center of the Nation" painted by Elizabeth Tracy in 1940. In the 1930’s, many jobs programs were created to help those who were struggling during the depression. The Federal Arts Project under the WPA was a program that employed artists. Murals were a large part of the Federal Arts Project of the New Deal. The Section of the Fine Arts commissioned many artworks like these to be created for federal buildings, such as post offices, and this mural in particular is a great statement about the city of Chicago...

The mural "William Markham Purchases Bucks County Territory" was painted for the historic (former) post office building in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The mural now resides in the lobby of Doylestown's newer, mid-1980s post office. "Charles Child, a 35-year-old artist who lived in Lumberville, was selected to create a mural for the Doylestown office in 1937. For his mural, Child chose to depict the founders of Bucks County and Doylestown. ... Child completed the mural in November 1937. The mural, 11 feet wide and 4 feet high, is divided into a 6-foot-wide center panel flanked by two smaller panels."   (doylestown.patch.com)

This mural, "Retrospection", was completed with New Deal funds in 1938. When the post office is closed, the mural can be viewed through a glass door.

The historic post office in Drumright, Oklahoma houses an oil-on-canvas mural by Frank Long. The work, entitled "Oklahoma Land Rush," was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and installed in the post office lobby in 1941, where it still hangs today.

"Preparations for Dunkirk Autumn Festival" is a post office mural completed by Frances Foy in 1941 under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The size of the mural is 13'7" x 4'6" and the medium is oil on canvas.

Isidore Toberoff's mural, "Erosion, Reclamation and Conservation of the Soil" was completed in 1942. The oil-on-canvas work was completed under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Toberoff was a 1942 Pulitzer Prize winner in art, and while himself recovering from war injuries, helped to provide therapy for wounded soldiers in the occupational therapy program at Fort Benjamin Harrison in 1943 (Bower, 1984).

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "The Stage at Dawn" painted in 1937 by Carlos Lopez.

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts mural "The Letter" painted by Frances Foy in 1936. Two elderly women meet at the front gate of a house with surrounding flowers, reading a letter, sharing the time. Park and Markowitz noted that she often portrayed women at the center of the work and used delicate colors and forms. As with the nearby Wood River work, this is more of a large easel work rather than a large mural, though the subject matter lends itself well to this scale. Frances Foy was born in Chicago and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago...

This tempera mural "The Stop of Hooker's Band in East Hartford before Crossing the River" was one of 48-State Competition Post Office Murals. It has been damaged, but half of the mural remains. "This five by thirteen foot mural, painted in egg tempera, was the result of a Public Works Administration national competition held in 1940, when Tobey was still an art student at Yale. The painting was influenced by the works of Italian fresco painter Piero della Francesca, and the style is different from the realism that characterizes most of Tobey's other historical works. Although popularly referred to as "The...

"Located at the East Moline post office is a mural entitled “Early Settlers of Moline along the Mississippi” by Edgar Britton. Created in 1936, this mural is considered a “fresco." Britton was born in 1901in Kearney, Nebraska. He studied at the University of Iowa from 1918-1920 and was a student of Grant Wood’s from 1920 to 1924. Britton completed seven mural projects for both the WPA and the Section, including a mural in the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. While he is best known for his murals—and was, in fact, Director of the mural division of the Illinois Art...