Post Office Mural – Hamburg IA

Description

The historic post office in Hamburg, Iowa received an example of New Deal artwork: “Peony Festival at Hamburg,” painted by William E. L. Bunn in 1941. The work was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

The post office was enlarged and extensively remodeled in 1969-70. Unfortunately, the following occurred, per WPAMurals:

The Postmaster sought to expand his office out into the lobby, which required removing the wall the mural hung on. Instead of notifying the GSA of the problem so that experts could remove the mural, he enlisted the help of an amateur painter friend, retired dentist Dr. Harvey Bang. In Bang’s words “The janitor and myself took the mural from the wall with loving care with spatulas, putty knives and finally sheer strength.” Almost none of the paint survived on the mural after “removal” and nothing but a sorry rag remained. Dr. Bang’s efforts of restoring the mural also came to nothing. According to the staff and the left hand corner of the replicated mural, Tony Rajer’s art class at the University of Wisconsin painted this replica in 1999.