Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA) Sites

The historic Fort Thomas post office houses a Section of Fine Arts mural: “General G. H. Thomas and Philip Sheridan,” painted by Lucienne Bloch in 1942.

The historic post office in Frankfort, Michigan contains an example of New Deal artwork: a Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "On Board the Ferry Car (Ann Arbor #4, Feb. 14, 1923)." "The first thing you notice when walking into Frankfort's post office is the stately 1940s architecture. There are dark wood walls, marble floors and high ceilings. But there's also a mural that you just might miss if you don't happen to look above the postmaster's office door. The mural is about the size of a family dining table and it depicts an Ann Arbor car ferry as its crew battles a...

This 1940 Section of Fine Arts mural "Local Industry" by Jean Swiggett was originally created for the old Franklin post office. The mural is 14'6" x 6' and the medium is oil on canvas. It was moved to this location when that post office was replaced.

The post office contains a 1939 Section of Fine Arts mural by James Turnbull entitled "The Lead Belt." Haunting work showing the juxtaposition of a farmer plowing his field in the wind in the lower right quarter, while the upper half is dominated by a large mine , processing plant and a growing tailings pile that are killing trees at its base and encroaching on the farmer’s field.  In the lower left quarter is the lane to the mead mine and severe erosion. James Turnbull was born in St. Louis in 1909, studied journalism at the Univ. of Missouri, then the School...

The historic post office building in Fredonia, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Harvest Scene." The work was painted by Arnold Blanch and installed in the post office lobby in 1937, where it still resides today.

The historic post office building in Freeland, Pennsylvania houses a New Deal mural funded by the Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts. The oil-on-canvas mural "Freeland," painted by John F. Folinsbee, was completed in 1938 and is viewable in the post office lobby.

The historic post office in Fremont, Michigan houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Pony Express" by Lumen Martin Winter. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The historic post office in Fulton, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Treasury Section of Fine Arts-funded oil-on-canvas mural entitled "Father LeMoyne Trying to Convert the Indians on Pathfinder Island." Painted by Caroline S. Rohland, the work was installed in the post office lobby in 1942; it still resides there today.

Aaron Bohrod painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "Breaking the Prairie--Log City, 1837," in 1938 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the Galesburg post office lobby. "Galesburg, IL was a planned community, established in 1837 by Presbyterian minister George Washington Gale who lead his parishioners from Oneida, NY. The purpose of their colonization of the prairie was to bring religion and education to the frontier. When they first arrived in Galesburg, these 50 families built a temporary town, 'Log City' in which they lived as they built their permanent homes and an early version of...

The oil-on-canvas mural "Bishop P. Chase Selects Site of Kenyon College" was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The work was installed in the historic Gambier post office in 1943, where it is still visible today.

The lobby of the post office in Garden City, New York features a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Huckleberry Frolic" painted by J. Theodore Johnson in 1937.

"Clearing the Right of Way" is a post office mural completed by Joe Cox in 1938 under the auspices of the Section of Fine Arts. The size of the mural is 12'4"x 5' and the medium is oil on canvas.

The historic post office in Gas City, Indiana houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Gas City in Boom Days," a Treasury Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural completed by William A. Dolwick in 1939. The size of the oil-on-canvas mural is 12'8"x 3'6".

Francis Speight painted "Cotton Field and Spinning Mill" (oil on canvas) for the Gastonia post office with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

This 9.5' x 4.5' mural  "Off to Northern Markers" by Joe De Young was completed with Section of Fine Arts funds in 1939.

"When the federal government commissioned a mural for the post office in 1941, the painter, Manuel Bromberg, had to work out the subject matter with the people of the town. The title of the mural is 'Fish Fry in the Park.' "The mural embellishes the Geneva post office, built by the New Deal in 1938. Located within the Central Geneva Historic District , which contains 68 historic buildings (including Frank Lloyd Wright’s P. D. Hoyt House), the post office was a busy place for decades. But years ago, as part of a nation-wide strategy to abandon large downtown post offices, the...

The oil-on-canvas mural entitled "Building a Sod House" was painted by Edward Chavez in 1941. "As an artist worked through the assignment, from choice of subject to finished mural, pressure was exerted from many sources. Local groups might suggest a particular theme from the area's history or from local industry, while Section personnel would favor realism over abstraction. Townspeople often expressed their opinions on the details fo the mural design through the editorial page of the town's newspaper. In fact, Geneva residents complained that Edward Chavez's sod house builders are "Chicano, but no Mexicans ever lived here!" Even so, Edward Chavez's...

The historic Geneva post office houses a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural, "Vineyard", painted by Peter Blume. Additionally, New Deal-commissioned bas reliefs can be found on the building's exterior.

Created for the former New Deal post office in Geneva, Ohio, Living New Deal believes the New Deal mural "Rural Homestead" to reside in the 'new' building that replaced it. “William Sommer’s mural, Rural Homestead, was chosen as the winner of the competition for the Geneva, Ohio post office. It was a simple design of a family posing in front of their farmhouse, representing American values and a typical Middle American lifestyle. In executing the design, however, Sommer was not as interested in the social realist movement as were many other artists. He was considered the premier representative in Cleveland of...

Richard Zoellner painted this 6 1/4' x 13' oil on canvas mural, entitled "Tobacco Harvest," in 1938 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the lobby of the Georgetown post office. “Only a quarter of the artists who prepared murals in Ohio post offices were native to the state. Among them was Richard Zoellner, a native of Portsmouth and former student at the Cincinnati Art Academy, who may have witnessed the annual Brown county tobacco harvest and prepared this familiar scene for the Georgetown Post Office.” (wpamurals.org)

The historic post office in Giddings, Texas houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural, titled "Cowboys Receiving the Mail," completed in 1939.

Gustaf Dahlstrom painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "Illinois Farm," in 1936, for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the lobby of the Gillespie post office.

Oil on canvas entitled "Montana's Progress" painted by Forest Hill in 1942.

Anne Poor painted this mural, "Gleason Agriculture" under the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1942. It was one of the last murals painted in Tennessee for the Treasury Section. "The theme of the painting is the sweet potato industry of Gleason. Workers are preparing baskets for shipping. At the extreme right of the picture is a generalized portrait of the late 'father' of sweet potato culture, Mr. W. R. Hawks. The picturesque building in the background is the Gleason railroad depot…. As a final tribute to sweet potatoes, the entire painting is framed with a border of lush green leaves...

The post office contains a 1937 Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural by Dan Rhodes entitled "Settlers Building." The mural depicts a group of settlers constructing a house.

The mural "Glen Ridge" by James Chapin was funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and completed in 1938.

A Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Building the New Road" was painted by Kenneth Evett in 1941 for the Golden post office (now the Downtown Station post office). The mural is still in place and in good shape.  The florescent lighting on it is unfortunate, but there is a very well done display beneath it on the construction of the building.

A Section of Fine Arts oil-on-canvas mural entitled "Rural Free Delivery" was painted by Kenneth M. Adams. The mural was installed in the then-new Goodland, Kansas post office in 1937. The artist also painted the mural for the New Deal post office in Deming, NM.

The historic post office building in Goshen, New York contains a 1937 Section of Fine Arts mural by Georgina Klitgaard entitled "The Hambletonian Stake." The mural depicts a harness race at the town's historic racetrack.

James Calder painted the oil-on-canvas mural "Waiting for the Mail" in 1938 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The mural hangs in the lobby of the historic Grand Lodge, Michigan post office.

The post office contains a 1938 Section of Fine Arts mural by Wendell Jones entitled "First Pulpit in Granville." Granville is the home of Denison University and was the first Baptist College west of the Allegheny Mountains. The mural emphasizes the religious prominence in early Granville. The work is reminiscent of the work of Edward Hicks. The rounded upper margins is unusual, following the architecture of the upper walls. Wendell Jones was born in Galena KS served in WW I and after the war graduated from Dartmouth College and studied at the Student’s Art League in New York with Allan Tucker and...

The historic post office in Grayling, Michigan houses an example of New Deal artwork: "The Lumber Camp" by Robert L. Lepper. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

This mural panel: "Source of Power" — reportedly the only surviving panel of an original set of six — was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

"Lumbering" John Thwaites painted this oil on canvas mural in 1940 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the Greenville post office lobby.

Stuart R. Purser painted "Steamboats on the Mississippi" in 1939 with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. "It has been moved to the "new" Finance Station Post Office which is in the old train depot downtown. Hurricane Katrina forced the closure of the original 1930's post office a few blocks away."

The fresco "Chuck Wagon Serenade" was painted by Manuel A. Bromberg in 1940. It was a winner of the Treasury Section's 48-State Post Office Mural Competition. Annals of Wyoming: In June, 1939, the Treasury Section conducted a national competition from which 48 paintings were selected, one for a post office commission in each of the states. The December 4th issue of Life magazine carried a brief story on the contest and reproduced the 48 winning designs. Manuel Bromberg's painting, "Chuck Wagon Serenade," was picked for Wyoming's new post office in Greybull; Bromberg, a 22-year-old artist studying at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts...

This Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural, entitled “The Wealth of the West,” was painted for the Gunnison post office by Ila Turner McAfee in 1940.

Oil on canvas entitled "Where Kit Carson Camped" painted by Birger Sandzen in 1941.

William E. L. Bunn painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "Peony Festival at Hamburg," in 1941 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. "The original mural was destroyed during renovations in the 70s. In 1999, Tony Rajer's art class at the University of Wisconsin painted a replica for the new post office." (newdealartregistry.org) It is viewable in the lobby.

This mural entitled “On the River” by Edmund D. Lewandowski was painted in 1941. It was one of the 48-State post office mural competition winners. The title for this mural is mistakenly listed as "Threshing Grain" in several sources. It is thought that an initial sketch was of a threshing grain scene. Medium: oil on canvas