Murals Sites

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.

Vincent D'Agostino painted the mural entitled "The Perils of the Mail" in 1937 with the help of TRAP funds. The mural was installed in the lobby of the Gloucester City post office and is still visible there today.

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

The historic post office building in Hamilton, Montana houses an oil-on-canvas mural entitled "Flat Head War Party" by artist Henry Meloy. It is one of only six New Deal murals in Montana post offices. The federal Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts funded the work, which was installed in 1942. The subject matter of the Meloy mural is a bit unusual: the formation of a "war party" of Shoshone preparing to go fight Blackfeet intruders. It depicts the natives as strong, fighting men, but why the White observer? The information sheet by the mural explains that such internecine warfare among tribes was...

This fresco secco mural "Texas Rangers in Camp" by Ward Lockwood was completed with Treasury Section of Fine Arts funds in 1942.

The historic post office in Hardinsburg, Kentucky houses an example of new Deal artwork: "Kentucky Homestead," a Section of Fine Arts commission. It was completed and installed in the post office lobby in 1942.

Richard Gates painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "The Farmer Feeding Industry,"  in 1937 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

Treasury funded wax tempera mural entitled "Men Hoeing" painted in 1941 by Eve Salisbury.

The lobby of the historic post office in Harrison, New York features a New Deal Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Early Days of the Automobile," which was painted in 1941 by Harold Goodwin.

In 1940, Ruth Grotenrath painted this lush scene, highlighting the local dairy cows and horses, through the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP).

Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "A Letter" painted by Orlin E. Clayton in 1939.

The historic post office in Hastings, Minnesota houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural entitled "Arrival of Fall Catalogue." The work, by Richard Haines, was completed in 1938.

John Sharp painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "Hunters," in 1942 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the Hawarden post office lobby. An Iowa native, Sharp was inspired by other local artists, like Grant Wood. "Hunters" was his third and last mural painted for the federal government during the Great Depression.

The oil-on-canvas mural “Agriculture and Industry in Claiborne Parish” was painted by Joseph Pistey, Jr. in 1939. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

This 5' x 10' oil on canvas mural "Rural Landscape" painted by Tom Lewis for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1938, still decorates the Hayward post office.