Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA) Sites

The historic post office in Summit, New Jersey housed examples of New Deal artwork: "Arrival of First Train" and "Stage Coach Attack," created by Fiske Boyd in 1937. Commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts, the works have unfortunately since been destroyed.

In 1939, George Samerjan painted a three-panel mural titled "Industry" for the post office in Maywood, CA. It was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts (SFA). Samerjan painted "Industry" as a tribute to Maywood's working class. "The central panel depicted a group of men working with pavement breakers, in the left panel showed carpenters and on the right were plasterers." Samerjan's work was "influenced by the Mexican muralists Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, whose politically charged frescos addressed issues such as labor rights and community unrest. George chose scenes for his murals that reflected on the lived realities of...

Henrietta Shore painted a mural, "Monterey Bay," for the Monterey Post Office in 1937, with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.  Unfortunately, Shore's mural has disappeared and its whereabouts are unknown to us.

The Whittier post office formerly held a tempera mural, "Boy with Sheep," painted by Thomas Laman in 1938 with funding from the Section of Fine Arts and the Treasury Relief Art Project. It has since been painted over.

The historic post office in Barnesville, Ohio housed an example of New Deal artwork depicting the advent of airmail delivery. The Treasury of Fine Arts-commissioned mural was "completed by Cleveland artist Michael Aloysius Sarisky (1906-1974) in March 1937 at a cost of $1,296." It was one of thousands of “New Deal” art murals created for public spaces during The Great Depression. The work is sometimes mis-attributed to the WPA or to artist Michael Loew. The artwork is also missing. Barnesville Enterprise: "According to United State Post Office officials in Columbus, the 13′ x 5′6″ mural was taken down during an audit in 1972 and...

The historic post office in Cloquet, Minnesota housed an example of New Deal artwork: "Lake Superior Shores – Yesterday and Today," an oil-on-canvas painting by Dewey Albinson. The work, completed in 1937, was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Unfortunately the post office has been extensively modified during careless renovations, and the artwork is missing.

The historic post office in Wayne, Michigan housed an example of New Deal artwork: "Landscape near Wayne – 1876," a mural by Algot Stenbery. The 1939 work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the mural are presently unknown.

White Bear Lake's historic (and demolished) former post office building was home to an example of New Deal artwork: "Early Voyageurs at Portage," a 12' x 4' mural by Nellie Best. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The work depicted "a view of a lake with Indians carrying canoes to be loaded with supplies. In the background running down to the water's edge the forests of Minnesota are depicted." WPAmurals: The mural is currently "missing." It is thought that the entire wall with the mural was cut out in the late 1970s - early 1980's when...

The mural entitled "Gathering Pecans," painted by Otis Dozier in 1941, is an example of New Deal artwork. It was created for the historic former post office in Arlington, Texas, which is now privately owned. Dozier was a painter, printmaker and teacher who was a charter member of the Dallas Artists League. "By the mid-1930s he had tightened up his brushwork and muted his palette to the earthy grays, beiges, greens, and browns favored by regionalist artists. Several of his major works from this era focused on the plight of farmers dispossessed by the Great Depression."   (https://www.tshaonline.org)

The 1940 New Deal mural, "The Mail Must Go Through," was created by Albert T. Reid. Commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, the 6' x 13' oil-on-canvas work was originally installed in the former Olathe post office on South Cherry Street. Per on-site plaque: "The mural depicts the harrowing undertaking of delivering the mail in the time of the stagecoach. The solitary driver pushes his horses from his seat on the stagecoach as snow and wind pummel them and slow their progress. Artist Albert T. Reid skillfully illustrates the spirit of determination and perseverance which is the keystone of...

The oil-on-canvas mural "Range Branding Down by the Big Tank" was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The work was completed by Thomas M. Stell, Jr. and installed in the historic post office building in Perry, Oklahoma in 1941. The work has since been relocated to Perry's Cherokee Strip Museum.

Wadsworth, Ohio's City Hall houses one of many examples of New Deal artwork commissioned for northeastern Ohio post offices. The mural "They Came as Wadsworth’s First Settlers after the War of 1812," by F. Thornton Martin, was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts for what was then the Wadsworth post office. The painting is currently on the ground floor of the City Hall chambers.

Gordon Grant painted three tempera murals at the post office in Alhambra, CA. The murals—"El Paysano," "El Gringo," and "El Indio"—were funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA). All three were subsequently painted over.

The interior of the Allentown post office is a ten-panel series of murals produced in 1937-1938 by New York artist Gifford Reynolds Beal (1879-1956). Each deals with a theme from Allentown history. The murals are respectively titled: Cement Industry Departure of the Jordan Rifles Iron Industry in Lehigh Valley Kimmett's Lock Lehigh County Barn Signs Liberty Bell Pennsylvania-German Riflemen The Walking Purchase Transportation Trout Hall

The historic post office building in Amsterdam, New York contains two Section of Fine Arts murals entitled "Departure of a Packet Boat" and "Sir William Johnson Conferring with the Indians" painted by Henry Schnakenberg in 1939. Also pictured here is an oil study Schnakenberg did for the mural in 1937. The oil study is a 36 x 116cm triptych. A historical description of the encounter depicted paints the scene as follows: "On July 20, 1749, a great Indian Conference was held at Albany, New York. It was attended by seven of the Colonial Governors, with their uniformed staffs and families, also the Indian...

Simka Simkhovitch painted four oil-on-canvas murals for the Beaufort, North Carolina post office: "Crissy Wright," "Goose Decoys," "Mail to Cape Lookout," and "Sand Ponies". They were installed in the lobby of the post office in 1940.

The historic post office in Blackfoot, Idaho houses a magnificent example of New Deal artwork. The murals were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and installed in 1939. The tempera mural cycles are by Andrew Standing Soldier, a Native American artist.  Entitled "The Arrival Celebration" and "The Round-Up,"  they depict everyday life of the Blackfoot people on their nearby reservation. The first covers two walls of the entrance lobby; the second is on the upper portion of the walls in another lobby room. 

The historic Emancipation Gardens post office, a.k.a. Alvardo de Lugo Post Office, in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas houses the only two examples of New Deal federal building artwork in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The works were commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The murals are displayed at opposite ends of the the lobby, and were both completed by Stevan Dohanos in 1941. They are respectively titled, "The Virgin Islands, U.S. – The Outer World Significance" and "The Virgin Islands, U.S. – The Leisurely Native Tempo." "The Outer World Significance," located at the east end of the lobby, depicts "an...

The Decatur post office contains several Treasury Section of Fine Arts murals by Edward Millman, Mitchell Siporin and Edgar Britton. The murals were completed in 1938. Three different halls in the post office contain murals by each artist respectively. Edward Millman Murals: One hall contains a series of three murals, consisting of two panels each, by Edward Millman. The murals are titled “Early Pioneers,” Social Consciousness,” and “Growth of Democracy in Illinois.” The murals show early pioneers and the development of social consciousness, but do so by showing the suffering of soldiers, Indians, blacks, and the common man. A judge or politician dressed...

"The interior features several important murals in the lobby vestibule. The murals were funded with $2,000 of the original money allotted for construction of the building. Although a competition to select an artist was held, officials intended to select Grant Wood, the famous Iowa painter of "American Gothic," to complete the murals. When Wood did not enter the competition, William E.L. Bunn was selected. The selection was subsequently overturned in favor of a painter named Bertram Adams. As a compromise, both Bunn and Adams, who each studied and worked with Wood and were friends from the University of Iowa, were...

The historic East Providence post office houses examples of New Deal artwork: three Section of Fine Art murals painted by Eugene Kingman in 1939. However, the murals are not in good condition. A third of the mural "East Providence" has fallen off the wall.

The post office contains two murals painted by Elsa Jemne in 1941 with funding from the Section of Fine Arts.

The post office contains two murals painted by Carl Morris in 1943. "Carl Morris won the US Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture competition to complete a set of murals for the building. The Section competition required that the art works represent local industry and agriculture, and while not the most representative of Morris' subsequent style, the murals are wonderful examples of the Social Realism depicted across the country through this selection process. In this instance Morris' special sense of color and design distinguish the Eugene murals. The two 6' x 15' murals cover the upper walls of the north and...

These four post office murals were commissioned by the Department of the Treasury's Section of Fine Arts. Painted by Henry Schnakenberg, they were installed in 1941. The murals are titled “Indians Trading with the Half Moon,” “Washington at Fort Lee,” “Moving Pictures at Fort Lee,” and “The Present Day.”

The New Deal post office in Grants Pass contains two New Deal murals in the lobby.  "Rogue River Indians" was painted by Louis DeMott Bunce and "Early and Contemporary Industries" is the work of Eric Lamade. Both were created in 1938 under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

These three murals by Lester W. Bentley were painted for the former De Pere, Wisconsin post office in 1942. They are now hanging in the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay WI. The murals were painted under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. They are titled "The Red Pieta," "Nicholas Perrot," and "Give Us This Day."

The historic Greensboro post office contains two murals commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.  Completed by Carson Davenport in 1939, they are titled "The Burning of Greensborough" and "Cotton Picking in Georgia."

The post office contains a set of three murals entitled "Transportation of the Mural." The murals were funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and painted by Frank Long in 1938. The murals are a set of 3 panels showing mail delivery by rail, one showing the mail bag to be picked up by the moving train, unloading mail bags from a train, and a busy mail room. The mail room is a consummate work with the diverging and converging lines with mail in slots and workers in the center. Frank Long was born in Knoxville, TN, studied at the Art...

Richard Zoellner painted these three oil on canvas murals--"Agriculture," "Fort Hamilton," and "Industries of Hamilton"--in 1934 with funds provided by the federal government. They are viewable in the Hamilton post office lobby.

Schomer Lichtner painted three oil-on-canvas murals ("City Workers," "Farm Family," and "Products of Industry and Agriculture") in 1940, with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. They are viewable in the historic Hamtramck post office.

The post office contains six murals depicting the history of Harrodsburg. They were painted in 1941 with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Orville Carroll painted five of the six murals. "Daniel Boone and Michael Stoner Arriving at Harrod's Settlement" is suspected to have been painted by Charles Goodwin, though this has not been confirmed.  

1938 New Deal frescoes by Eugene Kingman, depicting the agricultural heritage of Prince George's County, decorate the post office lobby. The frescoes are tempera on plaster, and consist of multiple small panels, some oddly shaped.

The Hyde Park NY post office has murals covering all four walls painted by Olin Dows in 1941. Dows called the group of 19 panels, "Professions and Industries of Hyde Park."  He provided a guide to his murals in booklet form (shown below). The project was paid for by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The historic post office building in Jasper, Florida houses New Deal artwork: two Section of Fine Arts-commissioned tempera frescoes by Pietro Lazzari titled "Harvest at Home" and "News from Afar." They were completed in 1942.

Alexander J. Kostellow painted these oil-on-canvas murals, entitled "Battle of Bushy Run" and "Glass Industry," in 1938, based on designs by Frank T. Olson and funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. They are viewable in the Jeannette post office lobby. "THE POST OFFICE MURAL in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, was the design of one artist and the product of another. The Battle of Bushy Run was originally conceptualized, researched and drawn by T. Frank Olson , who died only days after his designs were approved by Washington, DC. The son of Norwegian immigrants, T. Frank Olson travelled to Bergen, Norway in...

This post office contains two Treasury funded murals by Albert Kotin painted in 1938: "The City" and "The Marsh."

The historic post office in Kemmerer, Wyoming houses multiple examples of New Deal artwork: three oil-on-canvas murals painted by Eugene Kingman in 1938. The works, which were commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts, can be viewed in the post office lobby. Their titles are "Cretaceous Landscape," "Tertiary Aquatic Life," and "Excavation," respectively. Annals of Wyoming: In July, 1937, the Section invited Eugene Kingman to submit plans for a set of murals to decorate the post office in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The commission was a small one — $660 — and King- man's earlier work, submitted in competition for work at...

The post office interior features five murals depicting winter sports painted by Henry Billings in 1937.

The historic post office in downtown Lynn, Massachusetts was constructed just prior to the advent of the F.D.R. era; however, the completed building received two oil-on-canvas murals by William Riseman: "Colonial and Contemporary Civic Culture," and "Early and Modern Industries of Lynn," commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The works, which reside near the ceiling of the post office's high lobby, were completed in 1936.

The Magnolia post office contains three murals by John H. Fyfe, completed and installed in 1939 at a cost of $1,120.00 (Enzweiler, 1993). Under the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts program, Fyfe created "July 4th Celebration" also referred to as "July 4th Celebration at Sheriff Bacof's" in other sources. The local committee commissioned two additional murals based on their satisfaction with the first piece of art. "Cotton Harvest" and "Magnolia, 1880" depicted the cotton industry of Pike County. All three murals were restored in 1992 by Stewart-Treviranus Associates of McLean, Virginia. Fyfe also painted a mural fro the post office...