ADDRESS: 223 East Hall Street, Bushnell, Illinois 61422
ARTIST: Reva Jackman
TITLE: Pioneer Home in Bushnell
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Bushnell post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1938
It’s always amazing to me the items that stick out to me during a visit. This is especially true when I viewed the Bushnell mural. It might be the detail or the subject but there are certain things that just scream “Hey check that out”. Maybe it’s just a feeling but that’s kinda how it goes sometimes.
Take for instance the old lady sitting in the rocking chair. Her hands are huge. I’m not judging but wow! those are big hands for what appears to be an old lady. For some reason the episode from Seinfeld comes to mind. You know the one I’m referring to, “Man hands” on a women. I can’t stop thinking about that episode when look at this mural. Have I completed offended the artist or what he was trying to achieve?
I wonder what sticks out for you when you view this one. Please comment and share below.
Thanks,
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 4/03/2015 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.
- Parma Conservation
