Murals funded by the WPA Federal Art Project were intended to boost the morale of Americans suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. The BBPSS hoped to boost morale as well (we’re not at all happy either) by collaborating on its own mural. In the true spirit of the post, individual blocks (sections) were taken from a classic WPA post office mural and distributed far and wide to each BBPSS member. Our members then, with high artistic standard, replicated their block, in a medium of their own choosing, and sent the blocks back. It’s finally time for society members to see how each of their individual blocks make up the whole. Below please find a reproduction of Mr. Edwin Boyd Johnson’s Airmail, which has been installed in the Melrose Park Library in Chicago since 1937. And below, please find a reproduction of Mr. Edwin Boyd Johnson’s mural deconstructed, reimagined , and reassembled by the BBPSS. It is currently installed at BBPSS headquarters in Denver Colorado…it’s been up on the wall for at least a couple of months…If you’re not above clicking on a link, and you’d like to see some other great post office murals, here’s a portal to a photo essay in The Guardian…enjoy! 

*Note: The BBPSS is still accepting member mural blocks.

**Note: Perhaps there is one of these murals in a post office near you. In the city of Denver, there is only one, located on South Broadway. As luck would have it, it is within walking distance of two B.B.P.S.S. Officers. Several months ago, one of them announced loudly to everyone in the lobby that the horse mural was a rather exciting bit of history. The announcement received little fanfare. As it turns out, not everyone waiting to be served at the Post Office is interested in Post Office Fun Facts.