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Raymond Breinin

Post offices that have artwork by the artists Raymond Breinin

Illinois Post Office Mural Artists

By

Harry Sternberg
Harry Sternberg

The following is a list of all the artists that created murals in Illinois post offices during the New Deal. As I’ve been doing my research I felt it might be helpful for others so I decided to write-up an article with my findings.

If you ever visit the National Archives in Washington DC, then you may notice this comes in handy. Some of the records and files are organized by state. Other records are organized by the name of the artists.

I found it useful to have a listing of both. So here it is.

Illinois Post Office Mural Artist

  1. Abingdon, Illinois – Newell Hillis Arnold
  2. Berwyn, Illinois – Richard Haines
  3. Brookfield, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
  4. Bushnell, Illinois – Reva Jackman
  5. Carlyle, Illinois – Curt Drewes
  6. Carmi, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
  7. Carthage, Illinois – Karl Kelpe
  8. Chester, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
  9. Chicago, Former Chestnut – Frances Foy
  10. Chicago, Former Chestnut – Gustaf Dalstrom
  11. Chicago, Kedzie – Peterpaul Ott
  12. Chicago, Lakeview – Harry Sternberg
  13. Chicago, Logan Square – Hildreth Meiere
  14. Chicago, Morgan Park – John Theodore Johnson
  15. Chicago, Uptown – Henry Varnum Poor
  16. Chillicothe, Illinois – Arthur Herschel Lidov
  17. Clinton, Illinois – Aaron Bohrod
  18. Decatur, Illinois – Edward Millman
  19. Decatur, Illinois – Edgar Britton
  20. Decatur, Illinois – Mitchell Siporin
  21. Des Plaines, Illinois – James Michael Newell
  22. Downers Grove, Illinois – Elizabeth Tracy
  23. Dwight, Illinois – Carlos Lopez
  24. East Alton, Illinois – Frances Foy
  25. East Moline, Illinois – Edgar Britton
  26. Eldorado, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
  27. Elmhurst, Illinois – George Melville Smith
  28. Evanston, Illinois – Robert Isaiah Russin
  29. Evanston, Illinois – Armin Alfred Scheler
  30. Fairfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
  31. Flora, Illinois – William Davenport Griffin
  32. Forest Park, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
  33. Galesburg, Illinois – Aaron Board
  34. Geneva, Illinois – Manuel Abraham Bromberg
  35. Gibson City, Illinois – Frances Foy
  36. Gillespie, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
  37. Glen Ellyn, Illinois – Daniel Rhodes
  38. Hamilton, Illinois – Edmund D. Lewandowski
  39. Herrin, Illinois – Gustaf Dalstrom
  40. Homewood, Illinois – Maurine Montgomery Gibbs
  41. Kankakee, Illinois – Edouard Chassaing
  42. Lemont, Illinois – Charles Turzak
  43. Lewistown, Illinois – Ida Abelman
  44. Madison, Illinois – Alexander Raymond Katz
  45. Marseilles, Illinois – Avery Johnson
  46. Marshall, Illinois – Miriam McKinnie Hofmeier
  47. McLeansboro, Illinois – Dorothea Mierisch
  48. Melrose Park, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
  49. Moline, Illinois – Edward Millman
  50. Morton, Illinois – Charles Umlauf
  51. Mount Carroll, Illinois – Irene Soravia Bianucci
  52. Mount Morris, Illinois – Dale Nichols
  53. Mount Sterling, Illinois – Henry Bernstein
  54. Naperville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
  55. Nashville, Illinois – Zoltan Sepeshy
  56. Nokomis, Illinois – Bernard J. Rosenthal
  57. Normal, Illinois – Albert Pels
  58. Oak Park, Illinois – John Theodore Johnson
  59. O’Fallon, Illinois – Merlin F. Pollock
  60. Oglesby, Illinois – Fay Elizabeth Davis
  61. Oregon, Illinois – David B. Cheskin
  62. Park Ridge, Illinois – George Melville Smith
  63. Peoria, Illinois – Freeman Schoolcraft
  64. Petersburg, Illinois – John Winters
  65. Pittsfield, Illinois – William Samuel Schwartz
  66. Plano, Illinois – Peterpaul Ott
  67. Rock Falls, Illinois – Curt Drewes
  68. Rushville, Illinois – Rainey Bennett
  69. Salem, Illinois – Walter Vladimir Rousseff
  70. Sandwich, Illinois – Marshall Maynard Fredericks
  71. Shelbyville, Illinois – Lucia May Wiley
  72. Staunton, Illinois – Ralf Christian Henricksen
  73. Tuscola, Illinois – Edwin Boyd Johnson
  74. Vandalia, Illinois – Aaron Board
  75. Virden, Illinois – James Daugherty
  76. White Hall, Illinois – Felix Oscar Schlag
  77. Wilmette, Illinois – Raymond Breinin
  78. Wood River – Roxana, Illinois – Archibald Motley Jr.
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA
New Deal Artists Biographies NARA

Sources

Wilmette Illinois Post Office

By

Wilmette IL Post Office 60091
Wilmette IL Post Office 60091

ADDRESS: 1241 Central Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091
ARTIST: Raymond Breinin
TITLE: In The Soil is our Wealth
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Wilmette post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the pubic. It resides in a room off to the left of the public lobby. It’s viewable through the glass but difficult to see it entirely unobstructed unless in the office.
YEAR: 1938

It didn’t look like these two characters in front of the building were going to move anytime soon. They were just kind of loitering around the entrance to the building. Funny, because I’m usually waiting for cars to move. I didn’t have the nerve to ask them to move so I could get an un-obstructive picture, so I just took the photo as is.

Photographing the mural was a challenge. Some time in the history of this building , they built out the left side of the lobby and turned it into an office. The mural is now behind glass and viewable through the large window. The postmaster was kind enough to let me inside the office to get a few better pictures. I was glad I asked as the photos I have look much better without the added glass obstructing the view.

Thanks for stopping by

David W. Gates Jr.

Wilmette Illinois Post Office 60091
Wilmette Illinois Post Office 60091
Wilmette Illinois Post Office 60091
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Cornerstone
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Full
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Detail
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Detail
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Center
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Artists Signature
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Left Side
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Right Side
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Full
Wilmette Illinois Post Office Mural Full
Wilmette Illinois Post Office 60091

Update 11/17/2020

The feature image on this article always bothered me with the two individuals loitering in front of the building. Today I made another trip to this building to photograph it without cars or people. Little did I know that I’d be standing around for about a half hour before I had an unobstructed view of the building. I think it was worth it as we had nice blue skies and plenty of sunshine today in the Chicago-land area. Enjoy!

“Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”

Sources