New Deal/WPA Art In Maryland
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 |
|
Aberdeen |
Henri Brenner |
"Communication" |
1938 |
plaster relief (missing) |
|
|
Avery Johnson |
"Incidents in the History of Catonsville" |
1942 |
oil on canvas (several panels - some missing) |
|
|
Harrison Gibbs |
"Welding" |
1942 |
wood relief |
|
|
William H. Calfee |
"First Performance of Edwin Booth" |
1938 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Robert F. Gates |
"Montgomery County Farm Women's Market" |
1939 |
mural |
|
Elkton |
Alexander B. Clayton |
"Arrival of the Post, 1780" |
oil on canvas (in storage) |
|
|
|
Peter DeAnna |
"Building of Ellicott Mills" and "Landscape of Ellicott City" |
1942 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Frank Long |
"Transportation of the Mail" |
1938 |
mural (3 panels) |
|
Hyattsville |
Eugene Kingman |
"Hyattsville Countryside" |
1938 |
mural |
|
Laurel |
Mitchell Jamieson |
"Mail Coach at Laurel" |
1939 |
mural |
|
Oakland |
Robert F. Gates |
"Buckwheat Harvest" |
1942 |
tempera |
|
|
Perna Krick |
"Power of Communication" |
1939 |
wood relief |
|
|
Judson Smith |
"Sugarloaf Mountain" |
1940 |
mural |
|
|
Jacob Getlar Smith |
"Cotton Patch," "Stage at Byrd's Inn," and "Salisbury" |
1939 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Nicolai Cikovsky |
"The Old Tavern" |
1937 |
oil on canvas |
|
Towson |
Nicolai Cikovsky |
"History of Transportation" |
1939 |
tempera (5 panels) |
|
|
Mitchell Jamieson |
"Tobacco Cutters" |
1938 |
mural |
All mural images depicted
on this site are used with permission
of the United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Source:
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
by Marlene Park & Gerald E. Markowitz
© 2005 Nancy Lorance
All Rights Reserved.