Illinois Post Offices

ADDRESS: 220 East Delaware Street, Fairfield, Illinois 62837
ARTIST: William Samuel Schwartz
TITLE: Old Settlers
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Fairfield post office is still an active, operating facility and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the pubic. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1936

I bet you thought this was going to be a large mural? I guess you are also asking why I called this a painting and not a mural for the type? Well, I’m not the official word, but the physical dimensions of this artwork seems more like a painting than a mural. When I think of the term mural, I have an image in my mind of something large. I didn’t feel comfortable calling this one a mural, this is the reason for the classification of “painting” rather than mural. I’m so used to seeing large murals span the entire wall so it was quite different to see something smaller.

Regardless of classification type, it’s a neat very colorful piece. The subject matter is another highlight of the painting. The artist depicts an actual post office for one of the buildings. I’m guessing this may be the original post office in Fairfield. Does anyone know more about the subject matter of this painting? Have you done research on the artists? Please comment below. I’d love to hear more about it.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

Sources

• Personal visit on 5/24/2014 by David W. Gates Jr.
• Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook 
• United States Postal Service
• Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover]  Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
• Let’s Look for Mail Delivery in Illinois Post Offices: [Soft Cover] Mary Emma Thompson, PH. D.
• Parma Conservation
• The Victorian On Main