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Mitchell Siporin

Post offices that have artwork by the artists Mitchell Siporin

Illinois Post Office Mural Artists

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Harry Sternberg
Harry Sternberg

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

  1. Abingdon, Illinois – Newell Hillis Arnold
  2. Berwyn, Illinois – Richard Haines
  3. Brookfield, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
  4. Bushnell, Illinois – Reva Jackman
  5. Carlyle, Illinois – Curt Drewes
  6. Carmi, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
  7. Carthage, Illinois – Karl Kelpe
  8. Chester, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
  9. Chicago, Former Chestnut – Frances Foy
  10. Chicago, Former Chestnut – Gustaf Dalstrom
  11. Chicago, Kedzie – Peterpaul Ott
  12. Chicago, Lakeview – Harry Sternberg
  13. Chicago, Logan Square – Hildreth Meiere
  14. Chicago, Morgan Park – John Theodore Johnson
  15. Chicago, Uptown – Henry Varnum Poor
  16. Chillicothe, Illinois – Arthur Herschel Lidov
  17. Clinton, Illinois – Aaron Bohrod
  18. Decatur, Illinois – Edward Millman
  19. Decatur, Illinois – Edgar Britton
  20. Decatur, Illinois – Mitchell Siporin
  21. Des Plaines, Illinois – James Michael Newell
  22. Downers Grove, Illinois – Elizabeth Tracy
  23. Dwight, Illinois – Carlos Lopez
  24. East Alton, Illinois – Frances Foy
  25. East Moline, Illinois – Edgar Britton
  26. Eldorado, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
  27. Elmhurst, Illinois – George Melville Smith
  28. Evanston, Illinois – Robert Isaiah Russin
  29. Evanston, Illinois – Armin Alfred Scheler
  30. Fairfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
  31. Flora, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
  32. Forest Park, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
  33. Galesburg, Illinois – Aaron Board
  34. Geneva, Illinois – Manuel Abraham Bromberg
  35. Gibson City, Illinois – Frances Foy
  36. Gillespie, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
  37. Glen Ellyn, Illinois – Daniel Rhodes
  38. Hamilton, Illinois – Edmund D. Lewandowski
  39. Herrin, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
  40. Homewood, Illinois – Maurine Montgomery Gibbs
  41. Kankakee, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
  42. Lemont, Illinois – Charles Turzak
  43. Lewistown, Illinois – Ida Abelman
  44. Madison, Illinois – Alexander Raymond Katz
  45. Marseilles, Illinois – Avery Johnson
  46. Marshall, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
  47. McLeansboro, Illinois – Dorothea Mierisch
  48. Melrose Park, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
  49. Moline, Illinois – Edward Millman
  50. Morton, Illinois – Charles Umlauf
  51. Mount Carroll, Illinois – Irene Soravia Bianucci
  52. Mount Morris, Illinois – Dale Nichols
  53. Mount Sterling, Illinois – Henry Bernstein
  54. Naperville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
  55. Nashville, Illinois – Zoltan Sepeshy
  56. Nokomis, Illinois – Bernard J. Rosenthal
  57. Normal, Illinois – Albert Pels
  58. Oak Park, Illinois – John Theodore Johnson
  59. O’Fallon, Illinois – Merlin F. Pollock
  60. Oglesby, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
  61. Oregon, Illinois – David B. Cheskin
  62. Park Ridge, Illinois – George Melville Smith
  63. Peoria, Illinois – Freeman Schoolcraft
  64. Petersburg, Illinois – John Winters
  65. Pittsfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
  66. Plano, Illinois – Peterpaul Ott
  67. Rock Falls, Illinois – Curt Drewes
  68. Rushville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
  69. Salem, Illinois – Walter Vladimir Rousseff
  70. Sandwich, Illinois – Marshall Maynard Fredericks
  71. Shelbyville, Illinois – Lucia May Wiley
  72. Staunton, Illinois – Ralf Christian Henricksen
  73. Tuscola, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
  74. Vandalia, Illinois – Aaron Board
  75. Virden, Illinois – James Daugherty
  76. White Hall, Illinois – Felix Oscar Schlag
  77. Wilmette, Illinois – Raymond Breinin
  78. Wood River – Roxana, Illinois – Archibald Motley Jr.
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA

Sources

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office – Part 8

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Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155
Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155

ADDRESS: 1720 Market Street, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63155
TITLE: Discovery & Colonization
ARTIST: Mitchell Siporin
MEDIUM: (mural)
STATUS: The mural resides on the wall in the lobby.
YEAR:1942

Welcome to part 8 of a 10 part series featuring the Saint Louis main post office. For the past 8 days we have been showcasing the murals inside this mammoth building. Since there are over 9 murals I’ve decided to highlight them each individually.  Today’s mural is titled “Discovery & Colonization” and was done by Mitchell Siporin.

The first group in the panel portrays the early lead-mining activity at Saint Genevieve, the first settlement in Missouri. The original mining operations were known as “Renault’s Digging.” African-Americans and Indians are working the mines, supervised by French colonial entrepreneur.

In the center of this panel, an early French voyageurs is shown trading furs with the Indians. The last grouping of this panel is portrayal of the landing of the first colonist at the site of St. Louis. The portraits in this group are those of Pierre Laclede, Madame Chouteau and Auguste Chouteau. The priest at the side of the cross is offering his benedictions to the little group of hardy colonists.

Tune in tomorrow for part 9, The Struggle for Statehood.

Thanks for stopping by, please comment and share below.

David W. Gates Jr.

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Discovery and Colonization Plaque
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Discovery and Colonization Center
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Discovery and Colonization Right Side
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Discovery and Colonization Left Side
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office 63155
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural Discovery and Colonization

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

Sources

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office – Part 7

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Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155
Saint Louis (Main) MO Post Office 63155

ADDRESS: 1720 Market Street, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63155
TITLE: The Civil War
ARTIST: Mitchell Siporin
TYPE: Mural
STATUS: The mural resides on the wall in the lobby.
YEAR: 1942

Welcome to part 7 of a 10 part series featuring the Saint Louis main post office. For the past 6 days we have been showcasing the murals inside this mammoth building. Since there are over 9 murals I’ve decided to highlight them each individually.  Today’s mural is titled “The Civil War” and was done by Mitchell Siporin.

This panel is a representation of The Civil War in Missouri

The first group on the left symbolizes the militant Abolitionist movement directly preceding the war. In the foreground of the center, Union and Confederate soldiers are engaged in combat. The figures in the immediate background of this conflict are portraits of the prominent Confederate leaders in Missouri: Governor Claiborne Jackson and General Jo Shelby. The encampment in front of which they are standing is Camp Jackson, the St. Louis encampment.

At the right end of the panel, prominent Union Generals of Missouri are portrayed. They are, from left to right: Franz Sigel, Nathaniel Lyon, and Frank P. Blair. In the Background, to the left of this group, an army postman and a wounded soldier with news from home are depicted.

Tune in tomorrow for another mural Discovery & Colonization.

Thanks for stopping by, please comment and share below.

David W. Gates Jr.

Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Civil War Plaque
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Civil War Center
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Civil War Right Side
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Civil War Left Side
Saint Louis Missouri Main Post Office Mural The Civil War
Saint Louis (Main) Missouri Post Office 63155

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

Sources