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  • Jackson Heights Station Post Office Mural - Flushing NY
    The historic Jackson Heights Station post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Development of Jackson Heights," a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural by Peppino Mangravite.
  • James O. Eastland Federal Building (former) Mural - Jackson MS
    Now privately owned, the James O. Eastland federal post office and courthouse was constructed in 1933-34. The building contains a controversial New Deal mural painted in 1938 by Simka Simkovitch titled "Pursuit of Life in Mississippi." After being covered up for decades, the mural was rediscovered in 2011. The mural "shows African-Americans picking cotton and playing the banjo alongside a white family... The mural, which is in the main courtroom on the fourth floor, had been hidden behind a curtain since the 1960s when the first African-American judge appointed to the federal court in Mississippi ordered it to be covered, historians said. The...
  • Jefferson Nickel – Washington DC
    The Jefferson nickel, an essential coin in Americans' pockets for over fifty years, was designed and first minted during the New Deal. On March 6, 1938, The Sunday Star newspaper (Washington, DC) reported that, “The Section of Painting and Sculpture, Procurement Division, Treasury Department, announces a competition for a design for a new 5-cent coin, to be known as the ‘Jefferson Nickel.’” The award was $1,000 (about $20,000 in 2021 dollars). The judges of the competition were: Nellie Tayloe Ross, director of the U.S. Mint; Sidney Waugh, creator of several New Deal artworks; Albert Stewart, whose sculptures adorn the San Francisco Mint;...
  • Joel W. Solomon Post Office and Courthouse Mural - Chattanooga TN
    "A mural called "Allegory in Chattanooga" curves behind the judge's bench. Installed in 1937, it was painted by Hilton Leech under the auspices of the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture. The mural illustrates the history of the city through the New Deal era and includes a transmission tower symbolizing the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), headquartered in Chattanooga from its inception in 1935."   (https://www.gsa.gov)
  • Joel W. Solomon Post Office and Courthouse Sculpture - Chattanooga TN
    In addition to a New Deal mural by Hilton Leech, the building contains a cast-aluminum sculpture "The Mail Carrier" by Leopold Scholz. It was installed in 1938 under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
  • Jose Aceves Mural - Borger TX
    A Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts-sponsored mural titled “Big City News” was by Jose Aceves and installed in the lobby of the old Borger, Texas post office in 1939. The mural, which measures 4' x 9',  is now housed in the nearby Hutchinson County Museum.  
  • Joseph L. Fisher Post Office Murals - Arlington VA
    The old Main Post Office in Arlington VA, opened in 1937,  contains seven New Deal murals by Auriel Bessemer in its lobby.  The mural series is titled, "Agricultural and Industrial Scenes – Sketches of Virginia."  They were commissioned by the Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts, painted in 1939 and installed in 1940.   Auriel Bessemer was a local artist and the panels show familiar scenes of Virginia life in the past.  The seven panels depict Indians on Analostan Island, Captain John Smith and the Indians, tobacco picking at the Lee mansion, Robert E. Lee receiving his Confederate commission in Richmond, a...
  • Kedzie-Grace Post Office Bas Relief - Chicago IL
    This aluminum bas relief titled "Mercury" was created by Peter Paul Ott with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Ballator Mural - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. John Ballator created a tempera on canvas mural, "Contemporary Justice and Man," for the Justice Department in 1936-37. "The artist’s composition suggests an ascending scale of values, with an ideally planned community (Greenbelt, Maryland) at the top. While some...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Biddle Frescoes - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. George Biddle painted a five-panel fresco mural, "Society Freed through Justice," in 1936.  The second panel was restored c. 1973, after damage to the wall behind it. "This five-panel mural illustrates the importance of justice in the lives of...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Bisttram Mural - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building's murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. Emil Bisttram painted an oil on canvas mural, "Contemporary Justice and Woman" (1939). "This intricate oil-on-canvas mural shows a figure of Justice cutting the chains of tradition, which is represented by an old crouching shrew that had bound women....
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Curry Murals - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. John Steuart Curry provided two oil on canvas lunettes, "Movement of the Population Westward" and "Law Versus Mob Rule, " in 1937.  Curry was key artist in the Regionalist movement of the time. "'Movement Westward' captures the hardships faced...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Jennewein Sculptural Elements - Washington DC
    While the overall  design of the Department of Justice building conforms with the dominant Neoclassical theme of the Federal Triangle, it is distinguished by Art Deco architectural elements and the use of aluminum details.  The entrances feature 20-foot-high aluminum doors and interior stair railings, grilles, and trim are done in cast aluminum. Sculptor C. Paul Jennewein was selected by the architects  to create a unified design concept for the building's exterior and interior spaces, designing 57 sculptural elements from monument statues and bas-reliefs on the exterior to interior Art Deco torcheres and light fixtures.  (GSA) The dating of Jennewein's work is uncertain,...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Jennewein Statues - Washington DC
    In addition to his overall design work on the sculptural elements of the Department of Justice, C. Paul Jennewein designed six free-standing statues in the interior of the building. One group of four is called "Water," "Earth," "Fire," and "Air".  The carving of the statues in Alabama Limestone was done by Roger Morigi c. 1934-36, with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.  The Jennewein/Morigi statues stand in the south central elevator lobby on the fifth floor of the Justice Department. Two others are known as "The Great Hall Statues: The Spirit of Justice and The Majesty of Law".  They are 12.5'...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Kroll Murals - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost. Leon Kroll painted two very large lunettes, "Justice Triumphant" and "Justice Defeated", in 1936. "In Justice Triumphant, two figures symbolize justice: a woman, and a black-robed Judge who is portrayed by Justice Harlan Stone. Justice Defeated represents the tragedy and havoc caused by the absence of justice. The atmosphere is dark, with dead trees, a threatening sky, and a barren...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Poor Frescoes - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. Henry Varnum Poor painted a complex, 12-panel fresco mural, "Justice Department Bureaus and Divisions," in 1936. The first set of panels around the doorways of rooms 5111 and 5114 depict the ac­tivities of the Bureau of Prisons and the...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Shimin Mural - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. Symeon Shimin painted the mural "Contemporary Justice and the Child" in 1940.  It was restored at one point after moisture in the wall damaged the tempura-on-canvas painting.  "This intricate mural portrays two groups: on the left, the faces of...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice Building: Sterne Murals - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1935 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost. From 1935 t0 1941, Maurice Sterne painted a monumental series of 20 mural panels for the Library's two-story Reading Room, called "Man's Struggle for Justice".   At the two ends of the room are triptyches entitled, "Attributes of Justice" and "Continuity of the Law".  Along the sides are two rows of panels (7 on each side, it appears):   "Brute...
  • Kennedy Department of Justice: Robinson Murals - Washington DC
    The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost.  The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society. Boardman Robinson painted an enormous set of 18 tempera murals "Great Events and Figures of Law" in 1938, covering roughly 1000 square feet of canvas. The murals surround the stairway leading to The Great Hall on the 2d...
  • Kings Mountain City Hall Mural - Kings Mountain NC
    This canvas mural "The Battle of Kings Mountain" by Verona Burkhard was painted in 1941 with Treasury Section funding for the town's post office. It was moved to the city hall in the 1980s.
  • Kingsessing Station Post Office (former) Murals - Philadelphia PA
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's old Kingsessing Station post office hosted a pair of New Deal murals: "Philadelphia Waterways with Ben Franklin Bridge" and "View of Downtown Philadelphia Skyline," that were installed in the post office lobby in 1939. The murals were painted by Moses and Raphael Soyer. Upon relocation of postal services in Kingsessing, the murals were removed from the old post office. Presently the murals hang along the back wall of the offices of USPS's Philadelphia Metro District—a facility near the city's primary mail processing plant that is not accessible to the public. The murals have been sliced vertically into multiple segments...
  • Kittredge Bas-Relief (County Courthouse) - Flagstaff AZ
    In 1939, Robert Kittredge was commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts to create artwork for the newly-completed Flagstaff post office (later known as the Federal Building). He created a wooden bas-relief, "Arizona Logging," which was installed in 1940. The sculpture speaks to the logging industry, which was a critical part of Flagstaff's economy for decades. Three loggers are depicted putting logs onto a wagon using a "cant dog" poll. When the old post office/federal building was sold in 1983, the bas-relief was moved to the stairwell of the new wing of the Coconino County Courthouse, one-half block north.  
  • Lakeview Post Office Mural - Chicago IL
    During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration was the greatest and most ambitious agency to come out of FDR’s New Deal that employed mostly the unskilled. One sector of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was the Federal Art Project (FAP), and from that was born the Mural Division. This sought to not only employ artists that were struggling financially, but also to bring art to the public. There were many divisions of the FAP that had similar goals, but the Mural Division had a grand vision, and a lasting legacy. It showcased the talent of many artists in that...
  • Lamb County Library Sculptures - Littlefield TX
    The historic Lamb County Library building in Littlefield, Texas houses an example of New Deal artwork: "West Texas," a set of two New Deal tymstone sculptures completed by William McVey in 1948.
  • Lampasas City Hall Mural - Lampasas TX
    This 1939 mural "Afternoon on a Texas Ranch" by Ethel Edwards was a winner of the Treasury Section's 48-State Post Office Mural Competition. It was originally located in the Lampasas post office constructed in 1938, but was moved to the city hall when the post office moved to a new location.
  • Langston Terrace Dwellings: Animal Sculptures - Washington DC
    Langston Terrace Dwellings, opened in 1938, was the first U.S. Government-funded public housing project in Washington and the second in the nation.  Initial funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); later the U.S. Housing Authority stepped in to complete the job. The International Style complex was designed by African-American architect Hilyard Robinson, a native Washingtonian. It embodies Robinson's belief in the ability of fine buildings and art to inspire and uplift residents. Langston Terrace is well known for its artworks.   Five large animal sculptures by Hugh Collins, Lenore Thomas and Joe Goethe double as climbing structures in the children's playground. The Washington...
  • Lee's Summit History Museum (Old Post Office) Mural - Lee's Summit MO
    The old post office building in Lee's Summit is the home of an original Section of Fine Arts mural "Pastoral" painted by Ted Gilien in 1940. The building, which was purchased and used as City Hall from the 1960's to 2006, is still owned by the City of Lee's Summit but is on a short-term lease to ReDiscover, a mental health organization, for offices. With the passage of a recent bond issue, the City will be turning the structure over to the Lee's Summit Historical Society for use as a museum. When the new City Hall was constructed, the mural...
  • Lincoln National Forest Service Building Murals - Alamogordo NM
    In the portico of the Forest Service building are three frescos painted by Peter Hurd in 1940, with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. "Yucca" and "Sorghum" measure 4' by 3', and are installed on either side of the larger "Sun and Rain." From Kathryn Flynn's Treasure On New Mexico Trails: In Alamogordo, under the Art-in-Architecture program titled, 'Sun and Rain,' Peter Hurd painted one of New Mexico's most beautiful frescos in 1942, around the entrance to the building. The central part of the fresco is flanked by two smaller frescos, 'Sorghum' and 'Yucca.' The Alamogordo News in 1941 described...
  • Logan Square Station Post Office Sculpture - Chicago IL
    Hildreth Meiere’s sculpture titled “The Post” was executed and completed in 1937. It can be found in the Logan Square Station Post Office. The piece is made primarily out of metal and is heavily influenced by art deco styles. This work depicts three figures, a mixture of male and female characters. The man in the center is depicted as an almost supernatural or godlike figure. Both his ankles and helmet have wings attached to them, implying flight. Above this powerful figure is a letter flying from one individual to another, all the while the middle figure has an arrow strung...
  • Loop Station Post Office Mural - Chicago IL
    “The Great Indian Council 1833” is a mural painted by Gustaf Dalstrom, who was a Swedish-American artist that attended the Art Institute of Chicago and at one point was the President of the Chicago Society of Arts. Dalstrom painted many murals for the Treasury Department Section of Painting and Sculpture as known as The Treasury Section of Fine Arts. “The Great Indian Council 1833” was originally painted for the Post Office at 840 North Clark Street where it hung from 1938 (year it was finished) until 1983 when the Post Office was converted to a movie theater. The Mural also originally hung...
  • Los Angeles Post Office Terminal Annex Murals - Los Angeles CA
    This fresco in the Post Office Terminal Annex lobby consists of eleven semi-circular, tempera on plaster "lunettes" by Boris Deutsch depicting "Cultural Contributions of North, South and Central America." The murals were funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and completed in 1944. "The mural series entitled “The Cultural Contributions of North, South and Central America” in the Los Angeles Terminal Annex Post Office was painted in the early 1940s by Boris Deutsch. While the murals depict a number of indigenous North and South Americans, Mr. Deutsch himself was originally from Lithuania... In 1939, he received a commission from the United...
  • Los Banos Post Office Mural - Los Banos CA
    This Lew E. Davis tempera mural "Early Spanish Caballeros" was painted for the Los Banos post office in 1940. According to Kathryn A. Flynn's book The New Deal: A 75th Anniversary Celebration, "One of the most fruitful competitions of the Section project took place in 1939. It goal was to select the best mural design for a post office in each of our forty-eight states. Over three thousand entries were submitted. Jurors wer Maurice Sterne, Henry Varnum Poor, Edgar Miller, and Olin Dows. Once chosen, the forty-eight selections were exhibited around the country and shown in Life magazine that December." The...
  • Madison Post Office Mural - Madison IL
    A. Raymond Katz painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "Assimilation of the Immigrant into the Industrial Life of Madison," in 1940 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the Madison post office mural.
  • Madison Square Station Post Office Murals - New York NY
    The interior of New York's Madison Square Station post office features eight tempera-on-plaster murals entitled "Scenes of New York" (1937-1939), commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts funding.  Four panels are found on each the right and left wall of the post office lobby, surrounding the central postal clerk counters. Professor Dolkart of Columbia University School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation notes that seven of the eight McLeary murals represent different New York City neighborhoods. In each neighborhood shown, someone is depicted doing a mail-related activity: "Lower East Side (reading a letter to a group); Broadway (carrying a letter); Central Park (reading...
  • Madison Square Station Post Office Reliefs - New York NY
    The exterior of the Madison Square Station post office sports five bronze reliefs above its main entrance (on 23rd St.) known, collectively, as "Communication." Three were cast by Edmond R. Amateis and two by Louis Slobodkin in 1937, with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
  • Main Post Office (former) Mural - Cleveland OH
    This oil on canvas mural, entitled "Post Office Interiors," was painted by Jack Greitzer in 1936 for the new main post office, which was completed in 1934. The mural still hangs in the original building, which was renamed the M.K. Ferguson building but is now known as the Tower City Center. From Covering History: Revisiting Federal Art in Cleveland, 1933-43 by Sharon Dean and Karal Marling: “In all, artwork was commissioned for 19 post offices in the Cleveland area. In 2006, only eight are still operational. In those eight, the artwork from the Depression era was still present, though almost all needed...
  • Main Post Office Bas-Reliefs - Santa Barbara CA
    These six sunken plaster bas-reliefs depicting "The Transportation of the Mail" were installed in the Santa Barbara Main Post Office in 1937 by William Atkinson under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.
  • Main Post Office Murals - Bridgeport CT
    This 1934 post office contains two sets of 3-panel murals, one by Arthur Covey and the other by Robert Lambdin. All were painted in 1936. The Covey murals are entitled "Bridgeport Manufacturing." The Lambdin murals entitled "Stagecoach and Modern Transportation" show: "powerful images of an important part of American historythat is, the transportation of mail. A stagecoach was depicted on one panel to show the early days of mail transportvia horses and wagons. Another panel showed the work inside the post office, with men carrying bags loaded down with huge deliveries. By the 1936, the idea of planes transporting mail was now...
  • Main Post Office Murals - St. Louis MO
    The post office contains nine stunning murals by artists Edward Millman and Mitchell Siporin. Depicting the "cycle on history of the region," this massive project was the largest single project awarded for a Post Office by the Treasury Section. The award shared by the 2 was $29,000. The labels following each mural describe the contents quite well, but as Park and Markowitz noted, the works were not depicting the usual classical conquest, but instead showed Indians and Black slaves working the lead mines well before statehood, the Dred Scott Decision, and the struggles during and after the Civil War. The...
  • Marion Heritage Center Mural - Marion IA
    Daniel Rhodes painted this egg tempera mural on plaster in 1939 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It was originally installed in the post office and was restored in 2008. Iowa-born artist Daniel Rhodes painted a number of murals for the federal government during the Great Depression. "Communication by Mail," depicting modern railroad technology, was his last Iowa mural commission. It is one of only three true fresco murals in Iowa. From an article in the Marion Times: The former Marion Post Office on 8th Avenue, was built with WPA funds in 1939. A mural, by Fort Dodge resident, Dan Rhodes, was...
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