St. Louis Post Office Murals 9
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "The Post War Period--Reconstruction", 1942, fresco St. Louis Post Office Murals 9
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 9
St. Louis Post Office Murals 9
Description
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 murals together are an unusual and realistic depiction of the struggles in the state of Missouri. There are 2 interesting quotes by Walt Whitman on the east panels. Also of note is the acknowledgement of the assistant and plasters.
Edward Millman was born 1907 in Chicago, studied at the Chicago Art Institute and in Mexico City under Diego Rivera. He joined the Naval Reserve and designed posters , but subsequently went to the front, covering the war as an artist. He taught at the University of Indiana, Cornell University, the University of Buffalo, and at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he died in 1964.
Mitchell Siporin was born 1910 in New York City and did illustrations for Esquire and other magazines. He collaborated with Millman both in St. Louis and Decatur, IL. After the war, he founded the art department at Brandeis University.
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Plaque Describing "Discovery and Colonization"
Plaque Describing "Discovery and Colonization"
Photo: Steve Pan Steve Pan Plaque Describing "Discovery and Colonization"
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St. Louis MO Post Office Murals 1
Post Office murals, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "Labor on farm and in industry", east wall, 1941, fresco
St. Louis MO Post Office Murals 1
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis MO Post Office Murals 1
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St. Louis Post Office Murals Siporin Signature
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "The Post War Period--Reconstruction", 1942, fresco, detail of artist's signature
St. Louis Post Office Murals Siporin Signature
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals Siporin Signature
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St. Louis Post Office Murals Millman Signature
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Edward Millman, "The River", 1942, fresco, detail, artist's signature
St. Louis Post Office Murals Millman Signature
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals Millman Signature
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St. Louis Post Office Murals 2
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "Dred Scott decision", west wall, 1941, fresco
St. Louis Post Office Murals 2
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 2
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St. Louis Post Office Murals 3
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "George Rogers Clark and Daniel Boone, 1942, fresco
St. Louis Post Office Murals 3
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 3
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St. Louis Post Office Murals 4
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "The Territory of Missouri", 1942, fresco
St. Louis Post Office Murals 4
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 4
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St. Louis Post Office Murals 5
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Edward Millman, "The River", 1942, fresco
St. Louis Post Office Murals 5
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 5
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St. Louis Post Office Murals 6
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO. Edward Millman, "The Struggle for Statehood", 1942, fresco
St. Louis Post Office Murals 6
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 6
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St. Louis Post Office Murals 7
Post Office mural, St. Louis, MO, Edward Millman, "Pre-Civil War Missouri", 1942, fresco
St. Louis Post Office Murals 7
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 7
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St. Louis Post Office Murals 8
Post Office Mural, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "The Civil War", 1942, fresco
St. Louis Post Office Murals 8
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Murals 8
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St. Louis Post Office Whitman Quote
Post Office murals, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "Labor on farm", east wall, 1941, fresco, detail
St. Louis Post Office Whitman Quote
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Whitman Quote
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St. Louis Post Office Whitman Quote 2
Post Office murals, St. Louis, MO, Mitchell Siporin, "Labor in industry", east wall, 1941, fresco, detail with signature
St. Louis Post Office Whitman Quote 2
Photo: Charles Swaney Creative Commons 2012St. Louis Post Office Whitman Quote 2
Source notes
Park and Markowitz, Democratic Vistas, Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal, 1984.
Project originally submitted by Charles Swaney on January 12, 2013.
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.
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