Murals Sites

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "The Land of Woods and Lakes" by Stella E. Harlos. Medium: Oil on canvas

The post office contains a Treasury Section of Fine Arts mural "Life in the Mississippi Cotton Belt," painted by Auriel Bessemer in 1939 and installed in the Hazlehurst post office that same year. Bessemer was the son of Hungarian immigrants (Boszormenyi Family Tree). His accomplishments included work with the Gallery of Modern Masters in Washington and the American Museum of Natural History in New York (Enzweiler, 1992). Bessemer's painting represented the Copiah County diversified economy of an earlier time: cotton industry and manufacturing (Nelson-Easley, 2007), possibly the nearby Wesson Mills. Like many of the murals under the program, it could be...

The oil-on-canvas mural "Stampeding Buffaloes Stopping the Train" was painted by Eldora Lorenzini in 1939. "Eldora Lorenzini studied at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. She matched the color of the buffalo hides to the wood framing the doorway to the postmaster's office, making the mural a part of the endwall of the lobby. She did other murals in Colorado and Washington, D.C. and worked as a decorator, printmaker, and illustrator. In Nebraska, a commission for painting a mural in a post office ranged from $570.00 to $1,300. Eldora received $670.00 for this mural. She lived at the YWCA until she...

The mural "Western Town" by Jenne Magafan was painted in 1941 under the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and was a winner of the Treasury Section's 48-State Post Office mural competition. The mural is 25.5 x 43.5 feet and painted with oil-on-fiberboard.   It sits at the south end of the post office lobby and remains in pristine condition. 

New Deal mural entitled "Arrival of the First Train in Herington--1885" painted by H. Louis Freund in 1937. Medium: oil on canvas Size: 11' x 5'

"The mural in the photo above, titled “George Rogers Clark Confers with the Indians Near Herrin, Illinois” was painted by Gustaf Dalstrom and installed in the Herrin post office originally on May 27, 1940.  It was rededicated May 26, 2011, after a 47-year absence. In 1964 the lobby was renovated, and the mural was noted as being destroyed during the project.  The assistant postmaster at the time, Paul Popham (now deceased), salvaged the mural from the dumpster, however.  As there seemed to be little community interest in the mural, Paul's son, Tom Popham, took the mural with him when he...

William E. L. Bunn painted the mural "Mississippi Packets" for the lobby of the Hickman post office in 1940; the work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The post office contains a 1942 Section of Fine Arts mural painted by Jac T. Bowen entitled "Industrial Activity in the City." This is a brightly colored image incorporating local manufacturing concerns. In contrast to many murals, the emphasis is on the machines with the people working on the machines, but the focus is on the different types and size of the machines, particularly the generator in the middle of the mural. Bowen explained his mural: “Work made the town—work is building the town—and work will be the theme of their future; the song of their machines, their minds and their hands”. He...

The historic Hobart, Indiana post office houses an example of New Deal artwork: "Early Hobart," a 12-by-five-foot oil-on-canvas mural completed by William  A. Dolwick in 1938. The work was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The mural "Hodgen's Mill" was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It was installed in Hodgenville's historic post office during the Great Depression and has resided there ever since.

The historic post office in Hoisington, Kansas houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Treasury Section of Fine Arts-commissioned oil-on-canvas mural entitled "Wheat Center." The 12' x 5' mural was painted by Dorothea Tomlinson and completed in 1938.

The historic post office in Hollis, Oklahoma houses a New Deal mural entitled "Planning the Route," commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The Lloyd Goff work was completed and installed in the lobby of the post office in 1941, where it's still visible today.

The historic post office building in Homer, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Albany Street Bridge," painted in 1940 by Rank Romanelli.

The historic post office building in Honeoye Falls, New York houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "The Life of the Senecas," which was painted in 1942 by Stuart Edie.

The Hopewell post office contains a noted 1939 oil-on-canvas mural by Edmund Archer entitled "Captain Francis Eppes Making Friends with the Appomatox Indians."

"The Horton Post Office was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The two murals on the Walls, "Picnic in Kansas" and "Changing of Horses for the Pony Express" were painted by Colorado artist, Kenneth Evett in 1938 and 1939 respectively. The latter is thought to be the only painting of the Pony Express in any Post Office in the United States."

The post office contains a 1941 Section of Fine Arts mural, "Post near Houston, Natchez Trace, 1803" by Byron Burford,Jr.

"Rural Delivery" Jaroslaw Brozik completed this oil on canvas mural for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1941.

The historic post office building in Hubbard, Ohio houses an example of New Deal artwork, Hubert Mesibov’s painting, "Steel Industry for Hubbard." The work, one of 19 commissioned for northeastern Ohio post offices, was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The oil-on-canvas mural "History of California" is a seven-part mural spanning the large lobby of the historic Huntington Park Post Office. It was painted by Norman Chamberlain, assisted by Jean Swiggett and Ivan Bartlett, in 1937 with funding from the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP). "The scene of a racially integrated workforce on the south wall is noteworthy because this kind of depiction is rare in southern California New Deal murals" (Dunitz, p. 229).  

“Threshing in Kansas” painted by Lumen Martin Winter in 1942. "Threshing in Kansas" Medium: oil on canvas

Elsa Jemne painted this egg-tempera-on-plaster fresco, entitled "The Hutchinson Singers," in 1942 with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the Hutchinson post office lobby.

New deal mural entitled "Preparation for the First County Fair in Ida Grove--1872" painted by Andrene J. Kauffman in 1940.

Robert Tabor painted this oil on canvas mural, entitled "Postman in Storm," in 1938 for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is viewable in the post office library.  

Beulah Bettersworth's mural "White Gold in the Delta" was completed in 1939 for the Indianola post office under the auspices of the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. Bettersworth, who also completed a mural for the Columbus, Mississippi post office, was selected as a replacement for the commission awarded to Walter Anderson after his health prevented his ability to execute the Indianola mural.

The post office contains a 1937 Section of Fine Arts mural by Lucia Wiley entitled "Early Logging at Koochiching Falls."

The mural "Ipswich Tax Resistance—1687"was painted by Saul Levine with Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1941. It hangs in the lobby of the historic Ipswich, Massachusetts post office.

This Section of Fine Arts mural, entitled "Cotton--From Field to Mill," was painted in 1940 by Philip Evergood, for the then-new Jackson post office at 132 S Mulberry St. It was moved to the retail lobby of the current post office building upon its relocation in 1995. Following alleged complaints regarding the content of the mural, it was covered with black plastic in August 2020 while its fate is determined (Jackson Progress-Argus).

The oil-on-canvas mural “Loading Cattle” by James Turnbull was painted in 1940 for what was then the Jackson post office. That building is now the Chamber of Commerce, and the mural now hangs in the new post office. The mural was funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is an excellent work of art with his use of cattle being loaded onto a cattle car, men on horses, and the train.  The intersecting and contrasting lines of the cattle car and the loading is particularly effective. This has an additional interesting story in that it was initially selected to be...

"Indiana Farming Scene in Late Autumn" is a Section of Fine Arts mural completed by Jessie Hull Mayer in 1939. The size of the mural is 11'4" x 4' and the medium is oil on canvas.

The post office in Jasper, Texas houses a New Deal mural entitled "Industries of Jasper." Painted by Alexander Levin and completed in 1939, the work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The mural, since relocated, was created for Jasper's nearby Depression-era post office building.

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts fresco entitled "Sugar Cane Mill" painted in 1941 by Hollis Holbrooks.

The mural "Great Smokies and Tennessee Farms" was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts for the Jefferson City, Tennessee post office. The work was completed and installed in the post office lobby in 1941.

New Deal mural entitled "The New Calf" painted by Tom Savage in 1938.

In 1938, Vladimir Rousseff created a Section of Fine Arts mural "A. Grignon Trading with the Indians Mural" for the Kaukauna post office. A new post office was built in 1988 but the mural remained in the old post office for about 10 years. It is now in the "new" post office. Medium: oil on canvas

This oil on canvas mural by Fletcher Martin entitled "Discovery" was painted for the Kellogg post office in 1941. It was one of the winners of the 48-State post office mural competition. "The original mural, depicting 2 miners carrying another on a stretcher, was deemed too depressing by the locals."

The post office contains a Section of Fine Arts mural entitled "Incidents in the Lives of Lewis and Clark" painted in 1938 by David McCosh. "This mural, by Oregon artist David McCosh, captures a wide variety of scenes in the history of the western United States. According to the 1991 National Register nomination for the Kelso Post Office, the project's total cost in 1938 was $1,165. It "depicts various early western scenes including Northwest Coast Indian fishermen, the Lewis and Clark camp site, a farmer examining his plow, and a group of people receiving mail. The backdrop is the rugged forest...

The historic post office in Kenedy, Texas houses an example of New Deal artwork: a Section of Fine Arts-commissioned mural, titled "Grist for the Mill," completed in 1939.

"New Deal mural entitled "The Arrival of the First Letter--Kennebunk Post Office from Falmouth---June 14, 1775" painted in 1939 by Edith C. Barry. The mural remains in the old Post Office building, now used as Kennebunk Police Station." (flickr)

The Kennebunk post office mural remains in what is now the police station. The mural entitled "The Arrival of the First Letter--Kennebunk Post Office from Falmouth---June 14, 1775" was painted by Edith C. Barry in 1939. It was funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.