New Deal/WPA Art in Kentucky
Post Office New Deal Artwork
Most of the Post Office works of art were funded through commissions under the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture (later known as The Section of Fine Arts) and not the WPA.
"Often mistaken for WPA art, post office murals were actually executed by artists working for the Section of Fine Arts. Commonly known as "the Section," it was established in 1934 and administered by the Procurement Division of the Treasury Department. Headed by Edward Bruce, a former lawyer, businessman, and artist, the Section's main function was to select art of high quality to decorate public buildings if the funding was available. By providing decoration in public buildings, the art was made accessible to all people." from "Articles from EnRoute : Off The Wall: New Deal Post Office Murals" by Patricia Raynor
Unless indicated, works of art are located in the US Post Office building.
|
Location |
Artist |
Title |
Date |
Medium |
|
Anchorage |
Loren R. Fisher |
"Meeting the Train" |
1942 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Frank Long |
"Berea Commencement in the Old Days" |
1940 |
tempera on plaster |
|
Bowling Green, |
Edward laning |
"The Long Hunters Discover Daniel Boone" |
1942 |
mural |
|
Campbellsville |
Bert Mullins |
"Agriculture in Kentucky" and "General Zachary Taylor" |
1940 |
mural (destroyed) |
|
|
Alice Dineen |
"The Dark and Bloody Ground" |
1940 |
oil on canvas |
|
Covington, |
Carl L. Schmitz |
"Horsebreeding" and "Tobacco" |
1940 |
limestone reliefs |
|
Covington, |
Romuald Kraus |
"Justice" |
1942 |
bronze |
|
Flemingsburg |
Lucile Blanch |
"Crossing to the Battle of Blue Licks" |
1943 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Lucienne Bloch |
"General G. H. Thomas and Philip Sheridan" |
1942 |
tempera |
|
|
Allan Gould |
"Source of Power" |
1940 |
oil on canvas |
|
Hardinsburg |
Nathaniel Koffman |
"Kentucky Homestead" |
1942 |
mural |
|
Harrodsburg |
Orville Carroll (5 murals), Charles Goodwin (1) |
"Frontier Life in Kentucky" |
1941 |
murals |
|
|
William E. L. Bunn |
"Mississippi Packets" |
1940 |
oil on plaster |
|
Hodgenville |
Schomer Lichtner |
"Hodgen's Mill" |
1943 |
oil on canvas |
|
Jenkins |
F. Jean Thalinger |
"Miner" and "Daughter" |
1943 |
terra-cotta reliefs |
|
Lexington, |
Ward Lockwood |
"Daniel Boone's Arrival in Kentucky" |
1938 |
oil on canvas |
|
Louisville, |
Frank W. Long |
activities of the region |
1937 |
tempera on gesso |
|
Morehead |
Frank W. Long |
"The Rural Free Delivery" |
1939 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Bert Mullins |
"Rural Free Delivery" |
1939 |
mural |
|
Paducah, |
John Folinsbee |
"River" and "Early Town" |
1939 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Edward B. Fern |
"Kentucky Mountain Mail en Route" |
1942 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Robert Purdy |
"Kentucky Tobacco Field" |
1938 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Richard Davis |
"Signing of the Marriage Contract of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks," "Kentucky Pioneer," and "Wood Chopper" |
1941 |
limestone reliefs |
|
Williamsburg |
Alois Fabry |
"Floating Horses down the Cumberland River" |
1939 |
tempera |
|
Williamstown |
Romuald Kraus |
"In Kentucky" |
1942 |
terra-cotta relief |
All mural images depicted
on this site are used with permission
of the United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Reference Source:
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
by Marlene Park & Gerald E. Markowitz
*information courtesy of Jimmy Emerson
Murray, KY - The Clara M. Eagle Gallery at Murray State University currently houses 81 works from the WPA. This summer they are exhibiting a selection of 29 WPA prints from their collection. The dates of the show are May 15 - August 27, 2006. Summer gallery hours are M-F, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, or by appointment. The Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, 6th Floor, Doyle Fine Arts Building, Murray, KY 42071 (phone: 270-809-6734).
© 2006 Nancy Lorance
All Rights Reserved.