New Deal Art: Mural showing African American explorer Matthew Henson planting the American flag at the North Pole

Above: A mural of African American explorer Matthew Henson placing the American flag at the North Pole. The mural was created by Austin Mecklem (1890-1951), for the Recorder of Deeds building in Washington, DC. Mecklem created this mural while he was in the New Deal's Section of Fine Arts, 1943. A newspaper article from the time described the mural: "Mural for over-mantel decoration in library, subject, 'Commander Peary and Matthew Henson at the North Pole': While Peary was ill in the sleigh, as he discovered the North Pole, he directed Henson, a Negro, to place the American flag on an iceberg marking the location" (The Indianapolis Star, May 2, 1943). Mecklem's painting is one of seven New Deal murals in the Recorder of Deeds building, each depicting an important moment in African American history. Wikipedia has an interesting biography of Matthew Henson, here. Image courtesy of the Carol M. Highsmith and the Library of Congress.

WPA ice therapy

Above: A WPA nurse ices down the head of a patient suffering from a high fever, in New Orleans, ca. 1935-1943. The WPA nursing program helped millions of Americans. For example, between 1935 and 1941, WPA nurses in Passaic County, New Jersey "weighed and measured 12,732 children, assisted at 47,719 treatments, assisted physicians in making 7,697 physical examinations, conducted classroom examinations of 73,659 children, and made 4,000 home visits" ("What the WPA has done in this county in six years," The News (Paterson, New Jersey), December 20, 1941, p. 3). Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

New Deal Art: "Stone Crusher" by Edmund Lewandowski

Above: "Stone Crusher," a painting by Edmund Lewandowski (1914-1998), created while he was in the WPA, ca. 1935-1943. Lewandowski was a prolific artist, creating "more than 1,000 paintings and dozens of murals for corporations and federal buildings" and was "known for his paintings of the nation's industrial history" ("Muralist Edmund Lewandowski Dies," The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania), September 13, 1998). Image courtesy of the General Services Administration and the Ackland Art Museum.

Above: WPA workers with a portable stone crusher in Garrett County, Maryland, 1938. Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives.

New Deal Art: "Mesquite Wood Train" by Frederick Grayson Sayre

Above: "Mesquite Wood Train," an oil painting by Frederick Grayson Sayre created while he was in the WPA, ca. 1937. Sayre was born in Medoc, Missouri in 1879, and was a mine worker before becoming an artist. He was an engraver in Texas, and then an illustrator in Chicago, before doctors advised him to move west for his health. He was then "inspired to paint desert scenes in New Mexico and Arizona" before building a home in Coachella Valley, in southern California. Sayre died on New Year's Eve, January 31, 1938. ("Desert Painter's Funeral Is Set," Arizona Republic, January 3, 1939.) Image courtesy of the General Services Administration and the Long Beach Museum of Art.

New Deal Art: "Pipe Plant" by Holland Foster

Above: "Pipe Plant," an oil painting by Holland Foster (1906-1984), created while he was in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project, ca. 1933-1934. Foster was working on his bachelor of arts degree at the University of Iowa when he painted "Pipe Plant." In the final report of the Public Works of Art Project, he was reported living in the "Field House Dormitory" in Iowa City at the time. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Above: A close-up view of the bottom-center portion of "Pipe Plant," which seems to show a person being picked up at work, or perhaps hitching a ride home. In a newspaper article about one of Holland Foster's art exhibitions, we read: "The artworks of Holland Foster reveal him to be a highly competent portrait and landscape painter... he now works out of his studio at 75 Country Club Lane in Woodstock" ("Portraits & Landscapes With Competent Skill From Holland Foster," The Kingston Daily Freemen (Kingston, New York), December 12, 1971).

Above: While working on his undergraduate and graduate art degrees at the University of Iowa, Holland Foster was an assistant to artist Grant Wood ("Foster rites," Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 19, 1984). Wood painted the famous "American Gothic" (above). Image courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago and Wikipedia.

Above: A great portrait painting by Holland Foster, indicating that he learned a thing or two from his 1930s mentor Grant Wood. Where is this painting today? Image from The Kingston Daily Freeman newspaper, 1971, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

WPA art classes for children in North Carolina

Above: This photo was taken between 1935 and 1943, and the description for it reads: "Children working at their easels in a child art class in the WPA Federal Art Gallery in Winston-Salem, N.C." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A WPA poster, advertising free WPA art classes for children. In the Final Report on the WPA Program, 1935-43 (1947), we learn that "Teaching in the Fine Arts and in the handicrafts was done by artists employed on the WPA art projects. The classes were conducted in community centers and settlement houses and sometimes in hospitals and other public institutions. The handicraft teaching included work in print making, metal crafts, pottery, puppet making, weaving, and costume design." Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

New Deal Art: "Cincinnati Industries"

Above: "Cincinnati Industries," an oil painting by William Harry Gothard (1908-1968), created while he was in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project, 1934. In addition to creating art, Gothard served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, became an expert in art preservation and restoration, worked in the Cincinnati Museum, and had a wife and two children ("William H. Gothard, Art Conservator," The Cincinnati Enquirer, January 21, 1968, p. 6-B). Image courtesy of the General Services Administration and the Cincinnati Museum Center.

Above: A closer look at the center section of Gothard's "Cincinnati Industries," showing dairy & meat production, a power company, and musicians.