• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Post Office Fans

Celebrating our Nation's Post Offices

  • About
    • Start Here
      • Categories Explained
      • Tags Explained
    • Contact
      • Legal
        • Privacy Policy
  • Books
    • Guidebooks
    • Full Mural Books
  • In The Media
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Recommended Books
    • Recommended Websites
    • Post Office Artifacts
    • Post Office Mural Artists By Name
    • Post Office Mural Artists By State
    • Post Office Cornerstones
    • Blog Resources
  • By Artist
  • By State
  • Bookstore
You are here: Home / Archives for Boris Gilbertson

Boris Gilbertson

Post offices that have artwork by the artists Boris Gilbertson

Wisconsin Post Office Mural Artists

October 18, 2017 By David W. Gates Jr.

Artist Frank Buffmire - Black River Falls Post Office Mural
Artist Frank Buffmire – Black River Falls Post Office Mural

A total of twenty-eight artist created murals in thirty-five Wisconsin Post Office buildings during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Seven of the artist received multiple commissions as noted below. The artist and their awarded sites as listed below.

We have found having a list such as this is convenient when performing research at the National Archives Records and Administration. Any researcher will reveal, that finding information is part of the fun, somethings what you are looking for is catalogued by the artist name. Other times the research materials you need may be cataloged by the city or town, and so on.

Having a list to refer to is helpful on your journey of discovering these wonderful treasures in our nations post offices.

Wisconsin Post Office Mural Artists

  1. Berlin – Raymond Redell*
  2. Black River Falls – Frank Buffmire
  3. Chilton – Charles W Thwaites*
  4. Columbus – Arnold Blanch
  5. De Pere – Lester W Bentley
  6. Edgerton – Vladimir Rousseff*
  7. Elkhorn – Tom Rost*
  8. Fond du Lac – Boris Gilbertson*
  9. Hartford– Ethel Spears
  10. Hayward – Stella E Harlos
  11. Hudson – Ruth Grotenrath
  12. Janesville – Boris Gilbertson*
  13. Kaukauna – Vladimir Rousseff*
  14. Kewaunee – Paul Faulkner
  15. Ladysmith – Elsa Jemne
  16. Lake Geneva – George A Dietrich
  17. Lancaster – Tom Rost*
  18. Mayville – Peter Roiter*
  19. Milwaukee – Frances Foy
  20. Neillsville – John Van Koert
  21. Oconomowoc – Edward Morton
  22. Park Falls – James Waltrous
  23. Plymouth – Charles W Thwaites*
  24. Prairie Du Chien – Jefferson E Greer
  25. Reedsburg – Richard Jansen
  26. Rice Lake – Forest Flower*
  27. Richland Center – Richard Brooks
  28. Shawano – Eugene Higgins
  29. Sheboygan – Schomer Lichtner
  30. Stoughton – Edmund D Lewandoski
  31. Sturgeon Bay – Santos Zingle
  32. Viroqua – Forrest Flower*
  33. Waupaca – Raymond Redell*
  34. Wausau – Gerritt Sinclair
  35. West Bend – Peter Roiter*

There are a total of  28 artist that were commissioned artwork in Wisconsin in regards to post offices.

A few of the artists received multiple commissions and have art in more than one building. The following artists have two or more murals in Wisconsin.

  • Raymond Redell – Berlin and Wapaca
  • Charles W Thwaities – Chilton and Plymouth
  • Vladimir Rousseff – Edgerton and Kaukauna
  • Tom Rost – Elkhorn and Lancaster
  • Boris Gilbertson – Fond du Lac and Janesville
  • Forrest Flower – Rice Lake and Viroqua
  • Peter Rotier – Mayville and West Bend

New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA

Sources

  • David W. Gates Jr. on site visits to each location.
  • Wisconsin Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
  • Wisconsin Post Office Murals by David W. Gates Jr.
  • National Archives Records and Administration, College Park Maryland
  • Who was who in American Art, 1564-1975: 400 years of artist in America, Peter H Falk; Audrey M Lewis, Georgia Kuchen, Veronika Roessler, Madison, CT, Mount View Press. 1999.
  • Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover]  Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz

Filed Under: Artist, Artwork, NARA, New Deal, Post Office, Wisconsin Tagged With: Arnold Blanch, Artist, Boris Gilbertson, Charles W Thwaites, Edmund D Lewandowski, Edward Morton, Elsa Jemne, Ethel Spears, Eugene Higgins, Forrest Flower, Frances Foy, Frank Buffmire, George A Dietrich, Gerrit Sinclair, James Watrous, Jefferson E Greer, John Van Koert, Lester W Bentley, NARA, New Deal, Paul Faulkner, Peter Rotier, Raymond Redell, Richard Brooks, Richard Jansen, Ruth Grotenrath, Santos Zingale, Schomer Lichtner, Stella E Harlos, Tom Rost, Walter Vladimir Rousseff, Wisconsin

Former Fond du Lac Wisconsin Post Office

July 21, 2012 By David W. Gates Jr.

Fond Du Lac (Former) WI 54935
Fond du Lac (Former) WI 54935

ADDRESS: 19 E. 1st St. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54935
ARTIST: Boris Gilbertson
TITLE: Birds and Animals of the Northwest
MEDIUM: Limestone (Reliefs) 11 individual reliefs
STATUS: The original building is no longer the post office. The 11 lime- stone reliefs are on the exterior of the building and can be ob- served by interested parties.
YEAR: 1937

On Saturday’s I like to highlight some of the older buildings and their artwork. The former Fond du Lac post office is a perfect example of a building with interesting artwork. The difference about this building is that the artwork is on the exterior for all to enjoy 24×7.

The old post office building is massive. I briefly stopped inside to take a look at the lobby, but there really wasn’t anything noticeable since the new owners have purchased the building.

There are eleven reliefs and I’m wondering if anyone knows if each one has a specific name? Do you have any more info regarding these? What have you read or seen in regards to them?

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Art
Fond du Lac (Former) Wisconsin 54935 Cornerstone
Fond du Lac Wisconsin (Former) Post Office 54935
Fond du Lac Wisconsin (Former) Post Office 54935

“Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”

Sources

  • Personal visit on 5/15/2012 by David W. Gates Jr.
  • Wisconsin Post Office Murals by David W. Gates Jr.
  • Wisconsin Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
  • (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover]  Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
  • ADVOCAP (http://advocap.org)

Filed Under: Artwork, Cornerstone, Former Post Office, New Deal, Post Office, Wisconsin Tagged With: Artwork, Boris Gilbertson, Cornerstone, Former Post Office, Limestone Relief, New Deal, Post Office, Wisconsin

Janesville Wisconsin Post Office

April 9, 2012 By David W. Gates Jr.

Janesville WI Post Office 53545
Janesville WI Post Office 53545

ADDRESS: 1818 Milton Ave. Ste. 100,  Janesville, Wisconsin 53545
ARTIST: Boris Gilbertson
TITLE: Wild Ducks
MEDIUM: Aluminum (Stamped panel)
STATUS:  The aluminum panels made for Janesville by Gilbertson are now in the newer post office where they are only available for view- ing during business hours. The lobby has a locked retail section where the panels are located.
YEAR: 1940

Today’s featured post office is quite unique. Although, this is a newer building it contains the 4 aluminum panels that once graced the lobby of the Former Janesville Wisconsin Post Office. This is quite unique since most of the artwork that was commissioned was for murals or sculptures. It’s rather interesting and defiantly worth talking about and showcasing here. I’m delighted to have been able to visit and photograph them. Now if we can get them moved into the lobby so people can enjoy them during Sundays or after hours, that would be a better benefit to the community.

During my first visit to Janesville a year ago, I never walked into the retail counter area. I did go into the lobby where the post office boxes are but it never occurred that I should check the sectioned of retails sales area. So in August of 2013 I decided to do a little more research and try to locate the artwork that was once in the older building. My first stop was the older building on Dodge street. The former building now houses the Arrowhead Library System. After chatting up the very nice ladies in the office, they confirmed that the aluminum panels were indeed at the newer post office on Milton Ave.

So armed with this knowledge that’s exactly where I headed. And sure enough I could have kicked my self for not being as thorough as I usually am. I must have been lazy or it must have been a Sunday during my original visit. I can’t think of any other reason why I would not have checked the sales counter area but I didn’t.

Anyway, I was able to visit yet again and bring these to you. It was really hard to photograph them. Because they are aluminum panels it’s difficult to work with the reflections. It didn’t matter what angle I tried to photograph it, I ended up with some portion of the panel having reflections from the lights. Anyway, maybe someday I’ll bring a better camera and try to figure out what other settings or lens’ to use for better quality photographs. If anyone has suggestions with photographing under these conditions I’d really like to hear your suggestions. There are several instances where this has been a challenge, so I’d really like to learn the best way to photograph them.

I was immediately taken back by the size of this post office. I was amazed at the size of this building. It was also very busy when I was there. I ended up waiting around for at least a half hour before I could get a good close up of the front entrance.  I must have look odd as several people stopped to stare at me but strangely never said anything.

The reason I call myself a freak, is because I’m guessing that is what people must be thinking when they just stare at me. Or maybe they just wish they were as cool as me. Either way I get the looks.

Thanks for reading

David W. Gates Jr.

Updated August 18, 2013,

I must have driving a dozen times through Janesville always wondering about the artwork from the old building. Early on it never occurred to me the art would be in the actual retail counter area is located. But that is exactly what I found one weekend in August 2013 as I was doing more research. I discovered the location of the original post office on Dodge St. when I stopped in what is now the Arrow Library Center I was told the panels were in the new building on Milton St. So Naturally I had investigate and drove back to this building.

Sure enough, along the walls of the small sales counter section are the old aluminum panels that once resided in the former post office on dodge st. I was denied this day from photographing them and told to return and contact the post master. I wasn’t in any hurry since Janesville is not all that far from me. Yes, I would have liked to get them on this day but I already had plans to visit another one during this road trip, so I didn’t push the issues. So stay turned, I hope to get these soon.

Janesville Wisconsin Post Office 53545
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office 53545 Dedication Plaque
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office 53545
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office Aluminum Panel1
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office Aluminum Panel2
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office Aluminum Panel3
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office Aluminum Panel4
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office Aluminum Panel2-1
Janesville Wisconsin Post Office Aluminum Panel3-1

“Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”

Sources

  • Personal visit on 3/13/2012,  8/24/2013 and 8/31/2013 by David, Post Office Fans
  • Wisconsin Post Office Murals by David W. Gates Jr.
  • Wisconsin Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
  • United States Postal Service
  • (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover]  Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
  • Staff of the Arrowhead Library System
  • Parma Conservation (https://parmaconservation.com)

Filed Under: Artwork, Dedication Plaque, New Deal, Post Office, Wisconsin Tagged With: Aluminum Panels, Artwork, Boris Gilbertson, Dedication Plaque, New Deal, Parma Conservation, Post Office, Wisconsin

Primary Sidebar

Buy Me a Coffee

Available NOW!

Indiana Post Office Murals Guidebook Cover
Indiana Post Office Murals Guidebook Cover

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Get the latest from Post Office Fans

* indicates required
Tennessee Post Office Mural Book Cover
Tennessee Post Office Mural Book Cover
Wisconsin Post Office Murals
Wisconsin Post Office Mural Book Cover

Now Trending on Post Office Fans

  • URC Extra: Kaukauna and De Pere post office murals – Urban Rural Column on Wisconsin Post Office Murals
  • Walt on Wichita Kansas Former Main Post Office – Guest
  • Walt on Douglas Kanas Post Office – Guest

Footer

Search our site

Search Categories

Search Archives

Copyright 2025
Post Office Fans
PO Box 11
Crystal Lake, IL 60039

Donate with PayPay

 

Loading Comments...