New Deal/WPA Art in Maine
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 |
|
Dexter |
Elliott Means |
"News for the Woodsman" |
1941 |
wood relief |
|
Dover-Foxcroft |
Barstow Greenbie |
"River Driving" |
1940 |
oil on canvas |
|
Ellsworth |
Alzira Peirce |
"Ellsworth, Lumber Port" |
1938 |
oil on canvas |
|
Fairfield |
Josseph Walter |
"A Letter" |
1939 |
plaster relief |
|
Farmington |
Hetty Beatty |
"Lillian Nordica" |
1938 |
wood relief |
|
Kennebunk |
Edith C. Barry |
"The Arrival of the First Letter - Kennebunk Post Office from Falmouth - June 14, 1775" |
1939 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Elizabeth Tracey |
"Bathers" |
1941 |
mural (painted over and replaced in 1944) |
|
Mullinocket |
John W. Beauchamp |
"Logging in the Maine Woods" |
1942 |
oil on canvas |
|
|
Margaret Vincent |
"Jacob Howe, First Post Rider" |
1942 |
wood relief |
|
|
Henry Mattson |
"The Sea" and "The Rocky Coast of Maine" |
1937 |
oil on canvas |
|
Portland, South Portland Branch |
Alzira Peirce |
"Shipwreck at Night" |
1939 |
oil on canvas |
|
Westbrook |
Waldo Peirce |
"Woodsmen in the Woods of Maine" |
1937 |
oil on canvas |
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
Portland - Children's Hospital - WPA project (from "Federal Art in New England")
© 2005 Nancy Lorance
All Rights Reserved.