The following is a list of all the artists that created murals in Illinois post offices during the New Deal. As I’ve been doing my research I felt it might be helpful for others so I decided to write-up an article with my findings.

If you ever visit the National Archives in Washington DC, then you may notice this comes in handy. Some of the records and files are organized by state. Other records are organized by the name of the artists.

I found it useful to have a listing of both. So here it is.

Illinois Post Office Mural Artist

Abingdon, Illinois – Newell Hillis Arnold
Berwyn, Illinois – Richard Haines
Brookfield, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
Bushnell, Illinois – Reva Jackman
Carlyle, Illinois – Curt Drewes
Carmi, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
Carthage, Illinois – Karl Kelpe
Chester, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
Chicago, Former Chestnut – Frances Foy
Chicago, Former Chestnut – Gustaf Dalstrom
Chicago, Kedzie – Peterpaul Ott
Chicago, Lakeview – Harry Sternberg
Chicago, Logan Square – Hildreth Meiere
Chicago, Morgan Park – John Theodore Johnson
Chicago, Uptown – Henry Varnum Poor
Chillicothe, Illinois – Arthur Herschel Lidov
Clinton, Illinois – Aaron Bohrod
Decatur, Illinois – Edward Millman
Decatur, Illinois – Edgar Britton
Decatur, Illinois – Mitchell Siporin
Des Plaines, Illinois – James Michael Newell
Downers Grove, Illinois – Elizabeth Tracy
Dwight, Illinois – Carlos Lopez
East Alton, Illinois – Frances Foy
East Moline, Illinois – Edgar Britton
Eldorado, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
Elmhurst, Illinois – George Melville Smith
Evanston, Illinois – Robert Isaiah Russin
Evanston, Illinois – Armin Alfred Scheler
Fairfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
Flora, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
Forest Park, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
Galesburg, Illinois – Aaron Board
Geneva, Illinois – Manuel Abraham Bromberg
Gibson City, Illinois – Frances Foy
Gillespie, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
Glen Ellyn, Illinois – Daniel Rhodes
Hamilton, Illinois – Edmund D. Lewandowski
Herrin, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
Homewood, Illinois – Maurine Montgomery Gibbs
Kankakee, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
Lemont, Illinois – Charles Turzak
Lewistown, Illinois – Ida Abelman
Madison, Illinois – Alexander Raymond Katz
Marseilles, Illinois – Avery Johnson
Marshall, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
McLeansboro, Illinois – Dorothea Mierisch
Melrose Park, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
Moline, Illinois – Edward Millman
Morton, Illinois – Charles Umlauf
Mount Carroll, Illinois – Irene Soravia Bianucci
Mount Morris, Illinois – Dale Nichols
Mount Sterling, Illinois – Henry Bernstein
Naperville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
Nashville, Illinois – Zoltan Sepeshy
Nokomis, Illinois – Bernard J. Rosenthal
Normal, Illinois – Albert Pels
Oak Park, Illinois – John Theodore Johnson
O’Fallon, Illinois – Merlin F. Pollock
Oglesby, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
Oregon, Illinois – David B. Cheskin
Park Ridge, Illinois – George Melville Smith
Peoria, Illinois – Freeman Schoolcraft
Petersburg, Illinois – John Winters
Pittsfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
Plano, Illinois – Peterpaul Ott
Rock Falls, Illinois – Curt Drewes
Rushville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
Salem, Illinois – Walter Vladimir Rousseff
Sandwich, Illinois – Marshall Maynard Fredericks
Shelbyville, Illinois – Lucia May Wiley
Staunton, Illinois – Ralf Christian Henricksen
Tuscola, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
Vandalia, Illinois – Aaron Board
Virden, Illinois – James Daugherty
White Hall, Illinois – Felix Oscar Schlag
Wilmette, Illinois – Raymond Breinin
Wood River – Roxana, Illinois – Archibald Motley Jr.

Sources

David W. Gates Jr. on site visits to each location.
Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook 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

ADDRESS: 22 North Eddy Street, Sandwich, Illinois, 60548
ARTIST: Marshall Maynard Fredericks
TITLE: The Family
MEDIUM: Terra-cotta (relief)
STATUS: The Sandwich post office is still an active, operating facility, and the relief can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1941

So I decided to visit in July and I guess the town was having their 4th of July parade. Needless to say it was very congested in and around the post office during my visit. I didn’t even try to stick around for an un-obstructed photo of the building. I knew it was going to be next to impossible because of the parade. The photos I did get are shown below. Luckily, it’s not terribly far and I imagine I’ll be back in the future to get better exterior photos.

I’m trying to remember who mentioned the history of this one. Evidently, I must have spoken to one of the postal employees because I learned that this one was painted over when the lobby was remodeled. At least that his the story I heard. This individual also mentioned at one point the original terra-cotta relief was painted in color. The horse was painted brown, the pigs were pink and sheet had black noses painted eyes etc.

So I’m asking myself, who would have ordered the painters to just paint over the art and just turn the walls completely white? Further more what painter must have been desperate or followed those orders and painted over the entire piece? I’m shocked and bit surprised. It also appears this might have been done many years ago judging by how dusty or dirty the top of the piece is. I’m not angry as much as I’m just disappointed. When I visit these buildings my wish is to see they as they were when initially installed. So I hope I’m not sending the wrong message of being mad, just disappointed.

Anyway, enough venting for now. Does anyone out there have pictures of the original before it was painted over? Have you seen this before it was painted all white? Please comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.

Sandwich Illinois Post Office 60548 Corner Stone

Sandwich Illinois Post Office Art 60548 Detail

Sandwich Illinois Post Office Art 60548 Full

Sources

Personal visit on 7/05/2014 & 11/16/2020 and 04/26/2023 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

Marshall Maynard Fredricks