New Deal Art: "Artists on WPA"

Above: "Artists on WPA," an oil painting by Moses Soyer (1899-1974), created while he participated in the WPA's Federal Art Project, 1935. You can read a brief biography of Soyer here. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

New Deal Art: "Jungle"... and the New Deal's triumph of art over contempt

 

Above: "Jungle," an oil painting by Paul Kirtland Mays (1887-1961), created while he participated in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project, ca. 1933. Mays studied at several art schools and had a successful painting career before the Great Depression came along and destroyed it. The New Deal stepped in to help, giving Mays (and many like him) a modest-paying job to create art for the public. That's what the New Deal did. As opposed to the right-wing mentality that we see today--a mentality that snickers at people hurt by economic downturns, labeling them "takers" and "parasites"--the New Deal offered people opportunities. 

 

Which approach to economic recessions do you prefer? The approach that pits citizens against one another, fostering an atmosphere of contempt, or the approach that creates beautiful art and needed infrastructure? Believe it or not, a lot of people prefer the former - and that is one of the primary reasons we don't have a New Deal today (other reasons include rampant tax evasion, free market fanaticism, weak political leadership, and campaign money--a.k.a. bribery--from millionaires & billionaires who are opposed to public jobs for the unemployed). Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

New Deal Art: "Summer Day"

Above: "Summer Day," a wood engraving on paper, by Minnie Lois Murphy (1901-1962), created while she participated in the WPA's Federal Art Project, 1937. According to the website askART, Murphy "earned a BS from Columbia Univ. Studied at the Art Students League and was a pupil of Boardman Robinson, Kimon Nicolaides, and George Grosz," and her art was exhibited at places like the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Art Institute of Chicago, Minneapolis Art Institute, Brooklyn Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

New Deal Art: "Rapid Transit"

Above: "Rapid Transit," a woodcut by Fred Becker (1913-2004), created while he participated in the WPA's Federal Art Project, ca. 1938-1939. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

A New Deal Time Capsule?

Above: The description for this photo, taken at Antietam National Cemetery in 1940, reads, "Holding sealed jar to be placed in the northwest corner of wall. Miss Ida F. Mongan, Battlefield Clerk, Miss Mary Kane Knode, NYA Asst. Office Help." What's in the jar? Civil War items? New Deal-related items? Both? And is the jar still there? Perhaps we'll never know. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

Above: The description for this photo reads, "Antietam Battlefield Personnel and WPA force at the cornerstone laying, April 25, 1940, in northwest corner of cemetery wall." Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

Above: WPA men working on the cemetery wall at Antietam National Cemetery. The repair & improvement of the wall was just one of many New Deal projects around the Antietam National Battlefield area. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

Above: The cemetery wall today. Photo by Brent McKee.

A PWA ship in Baltimore: The last survivor of Pearl Harbor

Above: The Coast Guard Cutter Taney was built with PWA funds in the mid-1930s. Today, it is a museum ship in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, contributing to the local tourism economy. Photo by Brent McKee.

Above: During World War II, the Taney was fitted with three additional 5-inch guns, anti-aircraft batteries, and depth charges. The Taney saw extensive action in both the Atlantic and Pacific, knocking down several enemy aircraft and earning three battle stars. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Above: The Taney also saw action on December 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Additionally, during her active duty years the Taney served in Vietnam, seized illegal drugs, participated in search & rescue missions, and performed significant weather research duties. Photo by Brent McKee.

Above: Much of the Taney's interior dates to its original construction, including the engines and engine room - a maze of pipes, wires, and gauges. Photo by Brent McKee.

Above: The Taney served America for half-a-century, commissioned in 1936 and decommissioned in 1986. Today, she is a National Historic Landmark. Photo by Brent McKee.

Above: The first day of work on the Taney, May 1, 1935 - U.S.C.G. Cutter No. 68 (not to be confused with the Taney's hull number "37"). Many people, e.g., U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, claim that the spending programs of the New Deal did not work. Yet, the workers you see in the photo above were certainly happy to have a job courtesy of PWA funds. And the incredible service of the Taney to her country, and her continued economic contributions to Baltimore's Inner Harbor, also seem to dispute the "New Deal did not work" talking point. And remember, the Taney is just one of thousands of New Deal projects that we still benefit from today. Indeed, you can visit the Living New Deal for over 10,000 other examples. Photo courtesy of Historic Ships in Baltimore.

Sources: (1) Treasury Department Appropriation Bill for 1936, Hearing Before the Subcommittee of House Committee on Appropriation, 74th Congress, First Session, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1935, p. 434.  (2) Federal Works Agency, Millions for Defense, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1940, p. 41. (3) Historic Ships in Baltimore. (4) Naval History and Heritage Command. (5) U.S. Coast Guard, Historian's Office. 

New Deal Art: "Paper Workers"

Above: "Paper Workers," an oil painting by Douglass Crockwell (1904-1968), created while he participated in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project, 1934. It is noted that "By showing the workers as blocky figures that appear to be roughly carved out of wood, the artist visually likened the men to the source of the wood pulp from which they made newsprint," and "The geometric forms and dull gray colors of the men make them appear like components in the machine, and their concentration emphasizes the determination of many Americans to overcome hardships during the Depression. The suited figure on the left, however, represents the new managerial class, who controlled the men as well as the machines. His presence emphasizes the threat to hourly workers in the 1930s, as machinery grew more sophisticated and required supervisors rather than laborers." Image and quotes courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.