Indiana New Deal Art
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 |
| Alexandria | Roland Schweinsburg | “The Sledding Party” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Angola | Charles Campbell | “Hoosier Farm” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Attica | Reva Jackman | “Trek of the Covered Wagon to Indiana” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Aurora | Henrik Martin Mayer | “Down to the Ferry” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Batesville | Orville Carroll | “Rebuilding the Industrial Foundations of Batesville” | 1938 | tempera |
| Bedford | John Fabion | “Limestone Quarry Workers” | 1942 | terra-cotta relief |
| Berne | Walter Gardner | “Christmas Morning Mail” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Bloomfield | Lilian Swann Saarinen | “Waiting for the Mail” | 1941 | terra-cotta relief |
| Boonville | Ida Abelman | “Boonville Beginnings” | 1941 | tempera |
| Cambridge City | Samuel F. Hershey | “Pride of Cambridge City” | 1941 | oil on canvas |
| Crawfordsville | Frank Long | “Indiana Agriculture” | 1942 | oil on canvas |
| Crown Point | George Melville Smith | “From Such Beginnings Sprang the County of Lake” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Culver | Jessie Hull Mayer | “Arrival of the Mail in Culver” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Danville | Gail W. Martin | “Filling the Water Jugs – Haymaking Time” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Dunkirk | Frances Foy | “Preparations for Dunkirk Autumn Festival” | 1941 | oil on canvas |
| Fowler | Nat Werner | “Rest during Prairie Plowing” | 1940 | cast stone |
| Franklin | Jean Swiggett | “Local Industry” | 1940 | oil on canvas |
| Garrett | Joe H. Cox | “Clearing the Right of Way” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Gas City | William A. Dolwick | “Gas City in Boom Days” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Hobart | William A. Dolwick | “Early Hobart” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Indianapolis, Broad Ripple Postal Station |
Alan Tompkins | “Suburban Street” | 1942 | oil on canvas |
| Indianapolis, Post Office and Courthouse |
David K. Rubins | “Distribution of the Mail” | 1939 | oil on canvas (2 panels) |
| Jasper | Jessie Hull Mayer | “Indiana Farming Scene” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Knightstown | Raymond L. Morris | “The Evening Mail” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Lafayette | Henrik Martin Mayer | “Sad News” and “Rural Delivery” | 1936 | mural |
| Lagrange | Jessie Hull Mayer | “Corn School” | 1941 | oil on canvas |
| Liberty | Avery Johnson | “Autumn Fields” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Ligonier | Fay E. Davis | “Cutting Timber” | 1940 | oil on canvas |
| Martinsville | Alan Tompkins | “The Arrival of the Mail” | 1937 | oil on canvas |
| Middlebury | Raymond Redell | “Early Middlebury Mail” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Monticello | Marguerite Zorach | “Hay Making” | 1942 | oil on canvas |
| Nappanee | Grant Christian | “Waiting for the Mail” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| North Manchester | Alan Tompkins | “Indiana Farm – Sunday Afternoon” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
| Paoli | Tom Rost | “Rural Mail Carrier” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Pendleton | William F. Kaeser | “Loggers” | 1941 | oil on canvas |
| Rensselaer | John E. Costigan | “Receiving the Mail on the Farm” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Rockville | Milton Avery | “Landscape” | 1939 | oil on canvas |
| Spencer | Joseph Meert | “Harvesting” | 1940 | oil and tempera |
| Tell City | Laci de Gerenday | “The Noon Mail” | 1939 | wood relief |
| Terre Haute, Post Office and Courthouse |
Frederick Well Ross | “The Signing of the Magna Charta” | 1935 | oil on canvas (funded by TRAP) |
| Tipton | Donald Mattison | “Indiana Farming” | 1937 | oil on canvas |
| Union City | Donald Mattison | “Country Cousins” | 1938 | oil on canvas |
All mural images depicted on this site are used with permission of the United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Parks, the Circus, the Klan, the Press by Thomas Hart Benton Indiana University, Bloomington Campus, Woodburn Hall
The state of Indiana is home to many examples of New Deal art, including one of the more controversial murals funded by the WPA. At Indiana University, Bloomington, there is a Thomas Hart Benton mural which features the KKK and its strong presence in Indiana. It has been the subject of dissent for many years but continues to provoke people to discuss and think about important social and political issues.
- article: “Chancellor Brehm announces decision on Benton mural,” Indiana University (March 25, 2002)
- A statement by Chancellor Sharon Stephens Brehm, Indiana University and her decision to retain the Thomas Hart Benton mural in spite of protests by the Black Students Union (March 25, 2002).
- article: “Mural Under Fire for Klan Depiction: Thomas Hart Benton Artwork Sparks Indiana University Debate,” NPR (March 26, 2002)
Links to other Indiana New Deal sites:
The WPA in Indiana – This is a good general information site about the New Deal in Indiana.
