FDR Lives....

[Neecy]

Not literally, of course :)

But the Roosevelt administration left our country a priceless legacy that not only helped to lift the country out of Depression but created one of the largest public depositories of artwork in our history. I'm only surprised that the Reagan-era Republicans didn't run around destroying some of these works, because Big Guv'mit is always bad, right? Republicans in the 1930's were often critical of the writer/artist components of the WPA because they felt the works often had a leftist slant because they tended to glorify the common laborer.

The WPA and the Treasury Section of Fine Arts created sculpture, functional artwork (my favorite is below) and of course the huge murals that grace public buildings and post offices from coast to coast and in many small communities in between. Chances are good that you live within an hour's drive of a WPA/TS mural no matter where you live.

Just to give us a break from cops, AIG and Citi, health care and other pressing issues - a reminder of what government spending in time of economic crisis can produce:

Chicago, IL Lakeview Station Post Office (TS*)




Coit Tower, San Francisco, CA (WPA)




Cairo Public Library, Cairo, IL (WPA)
"Persimmins" cast stone water fountain by Anna Keeney



Oconomowoc, WI Post Office (TS*)



Newark City Subway, Military Park (WPA)



Knoxville, IA Post Office (TS*)





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

[anonymous171]

1. Just more proof that FDR = Greatest President Ever.

:kick:

[OHdem10]

3. You put a tear of joy in my heart. We Dems have a real legacy.

Thanks!







11

[Buzz Clik]

2. Kansas State University (Manhattan, KS) has similar artwork.

Follow the link http://ksulib.typepad.com/talking/2009/03/index.html and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Beautiful stuff.

[Neecy]

4. Gorgeous....

Thanks for the link - it also has a good source for more WPA artwork. The photo gallery is stunning.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101275990

[Captain Hilts]

5. I thought this was Eleanor's idea....

ER: Yeah, me too!
FDR: They're all line drives in the box score, old girl!

[dflprincess]

6. A couple weeks ago some of the Minnesota DUers had out annual picnic

at Minnehaha Park in Minneapols.

While there are no works of art like the ones in this post at the park - we did notice that we were sitting on picnic benches inscribed "WPA" and differnt dates from the 1930s. A lot of the work in Minnehaha Park (paths, steps, stone fences by the falls) was done by the WPA. I'm glad they left their mark in some of it to remind us of the program.

[Capt. America]

7. There are some good ones in some Cleveland post offices, but I'm not sure they are on the interwebs.

[Neecy]

10. The Postal Service is fussy about this

They make it moderately difficult to photograph the TS murals in post offices and have an arcane set of rules governing the use of these photos (which is why I credited USPS in the TS photos above - you have to).

At the discretion of the local Postmaster the U.S. Postal Service allows individuals to take low resolution photographs of New Deal Art from public areas of Post Office facilities as long as no disruption is caused. Low resolution is defined as an image with a maximum of 72 dpi and no larger than a four-by-five-inch output to end use. Additional equipment, aside from the camera itself, such as a tripod, lighting, or scaffolding cannot be set up without prior authorization from Rights and Permissions. Additionally, Postal Service employees or customers may not be depicted in the pictures.

http://www.usps.com/rightsandpermissions/new-deal-art.htm

[madrchsod]

8. there are three murals in the communities around where i live

ronald reagan`s dad and brother ran the wpa and they planted hundreds of trees other conservation project. my dad planted trees for a year before finding a job.

[Hannah Bell]

16. "ronald reagan`s dad and brother ran the wpa" - do you have more info on that?

[Union Yes]

9. Glorifying the common laborer has gotta be unMurkin!

:sarcasm:

knr

[troubledamerican]

11. FDR vs Reagan -- why do they glorify RR's "legacy" more than we glorify FDR?

[Naturyl]

13. Good question. We should remind people of FDR.

The right has been trying to trash him for decades.

[UrbScotty]

14. He was much more recent.

Many people alive today remember Reagan, but not FDR.

Not saying it's good.

[troubledamerican]

19. I've seen "Schindler's List"... Where's the big-budget FDR bio-flick?

[Captain Hilts]

21. You could do a fucking fantastic SERIES on FDR and ER. Start with TR...nt

[Captain Hilts]

22. The English have dramatized - compellingly - every major memberof the royal family and WSC. nt

[crickets]

12. I used to be lucky enough to live in a community with a post office

that has a beautiful WPA era mural. I never minded standing in line in that post office; there was always a treat for the eyes, some new detail not noticed before, to enjoy while waiting. I couldn't help thinking it would be wonderful if all post offices and other government buildings were so blessed.

http://www.claremontheritage.org/ps.toursevents.cfm?ID=1235

This mural was commissioned by the Treasury Department of the United States Government under the depression-era program Treasury Relief Art Project. Begun in 1933 and continuing during World War II, hundreds of such commissions were funded by the Federal Government and were designed to employ artists as part of the general Public Works Projects. This mural remains as one of the few surviving projects of that group of government-patronized programs. Milford Zornes received a salary of $96.00 per month for his work on the mural which took a year to complete. The work, created in a makeshift studio adjacent to the Post Office building then under construction, began as a series of paintings in oil on canvas. Upon completion of the Post Office structure, the individual painted sections were affixed to the walls of the building's lobby.

Thanks for a wonderful post, Neecy! :thumbsup:

[pnorman]

15. Anton Refrigier--- Here's one of many in the SF Rincon Street Post Office:

That scene on the left, pictures the infamous longshoremen "shape up" that was finally eliminated after the 1934 maritime strike. A few days ago, I had found most of those Rincon Street murals, but I can't seem to Google them now. Perhaps later.

pnorman

[Neecy]

18. San Francisco has a real treasure trove of WPA art

I think it's the Maritime Museum that not long ago opened a room with a large WPA mural that had been closed to the public for years. And Coit Tower is filled with the murals.

[pnorman]

20. I had gone to sea for many years, and I shipped from Frisco for a lot of them.

I recall those murals quite well. That Rincon Street Annex P.O. wasn't too far from my union hall, and I'd stop by there, just to look at them. But I had no idea that Coit Tower had anything worth viewing, until I started Googling a few hours ago!

I have a vague recollection of a maritime museum that wasn't too far from Fisherman's Wharf. But that was over 30 years ago, and I can't recall its contents. Ah! To be middle-aged once more!

pnorman

[Vidar]

17. K&R

[followthemoney]

23. Only a traitor to the Democratic Party, from within the party,...

Like FDR, can save us from the party.