ADDRESS: 113 S. Broadway, Gloucester City, New Jersey 08030
ARTIST: Vincent D´ Agostino
TITLE: The Perils of the Mail
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Gloucester City post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1935
How would you photograph this mural? With the hanging light fixture right in the middle, obstructing a full view made this a difficult one to work with?
In this case, what I like to do is get the left and right sides of the mural and then shoot the middle section of the mural from the side, It’s an angle shot but the alternative is to have a straight on shot with the light hanging in the way.
It would be nice the the USPS could spend some time and effort to raise the light fixtures so everyone can enjoy the murals as they were meant to be enjoyed, with no obstructions.
The sun was also setting behind and off to the left side of this building by the time I arrived. This also makes it a bit of a challenge when attempting to photograph in to the sun. I always prefer the sun shining on the front face of the buildings.
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 5/19/21 about 3:14 PM by David W. Gates Jr.
- (affiliate link) New Jersey Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
- United States Postal Service
- (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
In 1935 Congress passed “The Emergency Construction Appropriations Act” Within that legislation ($$$$$millions) a certain amount (unknown) was to be used for post office construction. Each one that was built received a block type cornerstone, inscribed only 1935. While this was going on, other post offices being built probably a few miles away in the same time year 1935, had a full text cornerstone. That is the difference between each when viewed. That was the only year (1935) and reason that the cornerstone appears with no text. When that P.O. money was depleted, a 1935 cornerstone with out text never yet appeared again.
So far in New Jersey, there are two, Garfield and Gloucester City.
RM P.O. Collection
All good information to know, thanks Robert.
David