WPA Art in Elgin, Illinois
Northern Illinois Hospital for the Insane
The following is an excerpt from the book, The History of Elgin Mental Health Center - Evolution of a State Hospital (1997) by William Briska, MSW:
"In 1935, one New Deal program, the Work Progress Administration (WPA), brought in a crew of 15 artists and six assistants to paint large murals on the walls of twenty-one buildings. The murals portrayed a variety of themes, such as, African landscapes, the inside of a steel mill, and the history of transportation. A few pieces of sculpture were also created"
Edward Reid was one of the artists who worked on the project. According to Mr. Briska, by the 1970s, the murals had been painted over and were no longer visible.
According to contemporary newspaper articles, there were seven WPA murals planned for the Elgin State Hospital for the Insane. The first mural was installed in Pershing Cottage, a ward building housing 300 war veterans in February 1936. The mural cost $2000. "Cloth weaving" was the subject. The mural measured 44' long x 6' wide. According to the Chicago Daily Tribune, "Soft shades of primary colors were employed to avoid exciting combinations." David Martin, project supervisor for the WPA, supervised the 18 artists who worked on this mural.
WPA Records from the Archives of American Art, Elgin, IL:
|
Location |
Artist |
Title |
Description |
Cost |
|
Elgin State Hospital |
Fritzi Brod |
Decorative Screen |
3 celetex (oil) panels - each panel 4-1/2' x 10' |
$10 |
|
Elgin Public Schools |
Anne Michalov |
Flowers |
watercolor |
$1 |
|
Elgin Public Schools |
Ethel Spears |
In the Park |
watercolor |
$1 |
|
Elgin Public Schools |
Edgar Cameron |
Arroya Secco |
oil painting |
$6 |
|
Grant School |
Carl Gasslander |
#662 - Native Girl |
watercolor |
? |
|
George F. Lord School, 7th Grade Room |
Sigfus Sigfussen |
Wash Day in Camp |
Easel oil painting |
$12 |
|
Columbia School, 720 Hill St. |
Jacob Richard |
#76 - Landscape |
Easel oil painting |
$8.50 |
|
Sears Academy of Fine Arts |
M. Kahn |
Street at Naperville |
15" x 22" picture |
$7.50 |
|
Sears Academy of Fine Arts |
F. Brod |
Road to Lake |
23" x 29" picture |
$12 |
|
The Elgin Academy |
Wm. Schwartz |
Cash Corning |
oil painting #2950 - 30" x 36" |
? |
|
The Elgin Academy |
G. Segedy |
West of the River |
oil painting #4556 - 24" x 30" |
? |
|
The Elgin Academy |
K. Himmel |
Street Fair |
oil painting #6632 - 30" x 36" |
? |
|
The Elgin Academy |
N. Marous |
Camping Group |
Drawing #4414 - |
? |
According to a Chicago Tribune article, July 16, 1935, the WPA murals completed for Elgin Hospital included a jungle scene which occupied an entire wall of Everett Cottage, an open ward building. The other, in Pinel Cottage, was a painting of domestic animals. David Martin was the art supervisor of the Elgin Hospital WPA art project.
Special thanks to Bill Briska for his help and contributions to this page