Airmail (fresco)

Airmail is a 4-by-8-foot (1.2 × 2.4 m) fresco painting by American artist Edwin Boyd Johnson. Located in Melrose Park, Illinois, it was painted in 1937, in what was then the village's post office, and has since become its public library.[1]

Airmail
ArtistEdwin Boyd Johnson
Year1937
MediumFresco
LocationMelrose Park, Illinois, United States

The fresco features a giant barefoot and bare-chested male mailman flying over a town scene whilst holding a winged letter. An airplane is seen in the skies behind him.[1][2] This was chosen as Melrose Park was one of the first airmail facilities used by the United States Post Service and the fresco was painted to commemorate it.[2]

History

Airmail was created as part of a New Deal program to help unemployed artists. The United States Post Office commissioned around 100 pieces of art in Illinois under this scheme. Edwin Boyd Johnson painted Airmail, finishing it in 1937. Between 1937 and 1971, it was located in the postmaster's office.[2] When the post office closed, it was renovated to become the public library, during which time the fresco was lost and presumed destroyed.[3]

The mural was rediscovered in 2007 following a man named Richard Grunt investigating Johnson's work after remembering seeing Airmail at the post office when he was a child. When he contacted the library about it, the librarian explored behind a drop ceiling and rediscovered it.[3] Airmail was in bad condition, with the center piece being "punched out", and the top and bottom of the fresco being chipped.[2] It is believed to have been damaged following removal to install new air ducts during the transformation from post office to library.[4] Appeals were made to cover the $50,000 bill for restoration.[3] The money was raised by a combination of local societies and Fifth Third Bank in 2010. After a six-month restoration, it was unveiled at Melrose Park Historical Center before being returned to the library for permanent display.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Melrose Park Public Library Mural – Melrose Park IL". Living New Deal. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  2. "A special delivery from the past". Chicago Tribune. April 21, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. "Distant memory leads to old mural". Chicago Tribune. April 21, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  4. Marbella, Findencio (2009). Melrose Park. Arcadia Publishing. p. 127. ISBN 978-0738560939.
  5. "Depression-era mural restored in Melrose Park". Chicago Business. April 9, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
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