A revealing cultural history of this American art form.

In her intriguing and heavily illustrated look at post office murals of the 1930s, Karal Ann Marling examines these unique government-sponsored works of art not only as paintings but as part of American cultural history. Depicting scenes from the farm, the frontier, and the factories, these murals were commissioned by the Treasury Department during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Placed in the building where everyone in town had reason to stop, the thousand-odd paintings discussed here were truly intended to hold appeal for everyone. This spirited and often irreverent discussion offers a close look at the murals and what they represented to small-town America during the Great Depression.

Karal Ann marling is professor of American studies and art history at the University of Minnesota. She is author of numerous books on American culture, including The Colossus of Roads (also published by the University of Minnesota Press), Designing Disney’s Theme Parks, Graceland: Going Home with Elvis, and George Washington Slept Here.