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.

Source:
Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
by Marlene Park & Gerald E. Markowitz

*Arlington County's Public Art Program Announces Historic Murals Return Home - Arlington, Virginia

Auriel Bessemer's seven New Deal-era murals, Agricultural and Industrial Scenes - Sketches of Virginia, have been reinstalled in their original home at the historic Joseph L. Fisher Post Office in Clarendon. This post office has served as the murals' permanent home since the paintings were completed in 1940. The murals were commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Art in order to beautify Arlington's first federal building. Local artist, Auriel Bessemer, was paid $800 to paint images emblematic of national ideals and local history. By showing familiar, local destinations, such as Great Falls and Roosevelt Island, Bessemer contributed to a sense of local pride. During the recent renovation of this post office, the murals were conserved and the United States Postal Service loaned the murals to Arlington County for an 18-month exhibition at Arlington's Central Library. Now that the post office is renovated and open for business (as of March 26, 2007), the murals have been returned to their permanent home. The exhibition at the Central Library was coordinated by Arlington's Cultural Affairs Division's Public Art Program and funding was provided by The Keating Partners. The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) worked to ensure that the murals were restored as part of The Keating Partners's Phoenix development project. For more information and/or high-resolution images, please contact: Caroline Danforth, Public Art Associate Curator, Arlington County, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources, Cultural Affairs Division, Public Art Program, cdanforth@arlingtonva.us - information courtesy of Caroline Danforth

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