ADDRESS: 203 E. Jefferson St, Tipton, Indiana 46072
ARTIST: Donald M. Mattison
TITLE: Indiana Farming
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Tipton 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 a wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1937
It was a cold morning when I visited the Tipton post office. I was thankful for the clear and sunny weather. The exterior of the building is nice with great decorative brick features. The lettering in all black above the door is difficult to read for the casual observer. Luckily I can zoom in with my camera to see it.
The mural inside the building is wonderful. However, I’m less than thrilled with the two lights that hang so far down that made it really difficult to get good photos.
I know in other buildings the lights have been raised to the ceiling enabling a better viewer experience.
UPDATE
This was another re-visit during the summer of 2023 to get a little better exterior image of the building.
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 11/23/21 about 7:35 AM and 06/30/2023 about 8:06 AM by David W. Gates Jr.
- Indiana Post Office Mural Guidebook by David W. Gates Jr.
- United States Postal Service
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Mural Study Indiana Farming (mural study, Tipton, Indiana Post Office) | Smithsonian American Art Museum (si.edu)
- (affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
- (affiliate link): A Simple and Vital Design: The Story of the Indiana Post Office Murals
: John C. Carlisle
- Parma Conservation (https://parmaconservation.com)
