Photograph of mural "unloading the mail" by reginald marsh at the ariel rios federal building, washington, d. C. Notes:
date: 1936; dimensions: 6'7" x 12' 6". Photographed as part of an assignment for the general services administration. Title, date and keywords from information provided by the photographer. Credit line: photographs in the carol m. Highsmith archive, library of congress, prints and photographs division. Gift; carol m. Highsmith; 2009; (dlc/pp-2009:083). Forms part of: photographs in the carol m. Highsmith archive. More information at the living new deal
mural information from the general services administration:
unloading the mail emphasizes the international communication allowed by the exchange of mail. Marsh was inspired by his visits to rms berengaria docked in new york harbor. The ship was one of the largest in the cunard line, a transatlantic shipping company dating back over a century, which brought mail to american shores from around the globe. It is clear from his sketches that marsh closely observed the exterior of the ship, but in the mural he focused on the activities that occurred in the harbor boat. Mailbags from france, austria, sweden, great britain, italy, switzerland, and india are being transferred from the ocean liner onto a harbor boat that will take the cargo to shore for distribution. The recently enhanced new york skyline can be glimpsed out the window on the left and, in the mural's lower left corner, a man takes careful note of the mail being received.
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