Nebraska’s Post Office Murals Explores New Deal Legacy
Nebraska’s Post Office Murals is now available at Amazon Prime.
Public art is among the most enduring visual legacies of the New Deal that offered hope during the Great Depression. Nebraska’s Post Office Murals: Born of the Depression, Fostered by the New Deal showcases these legacies. Richly illustrated with photographs and never-before- published artists’ sketches and working drawings, the book reveals the personalities, conflicts, and spirit of the times from which the art emerged. Color foldouts of each painting tell the story of the U.S. Treasury Department’s post office mural program in Nebraska. Author Robert Puschendorf, NSHS associate director and the deputy state historic preservation officer, spent years researching the book. With James E. Potter he is the co-author of the Nebraska Book Award-winning Spans in Time: A History of Nebraska Bridges, and has published numerous historical articles. Nebraska’s Post Office Murals: Born of the Depression, Fostered by the New Deal, by L. Robert Puschendorf. Hardcover (10” x 8”), 120 pages, illustrated, index, bibliography, $29.95 / NSHS Members $26.95 (plus tax & shipping). To order visit your local bookseller, the NSHS Landmark Stores, or Amazon.com.
What readers say: “Across Nebraska, small town post offices still house gems of regional art. This book brings these murals to a larger audience. This is a fascinating and enlightening exploration of a beauty in the midst of hard times.” —Bill Ganzel, author of Dust Bowl Descent “Robert Puschendorf digs deeply into the layers of this nation’s first government art patronage program, exploring its origins and its evolution during the Great Depression. Through the political and bureaucratic morass, he diligently uncovers within the state’s WPA-built post offices, a rich Nebraska legacy of regional art murals.” —Sharon Kennedy, Curator of Cultural and Civic Engagement, Sheldon Museum of Art
