Jessie Hull Mayer

Jessie Hull Mayer (July 28, 1910 – July 1, 2009) was an American painter and muralist who won four federal commissions to complete post office murals, as part of the Section of Painting and Sculpture′s projects, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. She continued to paint after the WPA project ended focusing on botanicals, landscapes and maritime themes.

Jessie Hull Mayer
Born
Jessie Hull

(1910-07-28)July 28, 1910
New Haven, Connecticut
DiedJuly 1, 2009(2009-07-01) (aged 98)
Essex, Connecticut
NationalityAmerican
Occupationartist
Years active1932-1993
Known forU. S. Post office murals, maritime scenes

Early life

Jessie Hull July 28, 1910 in New Haven, Connecticut to Anna (née Goetz) and William H. Hull. Her family had several farms in New Haven County, Connecticut and as a child, she spent time at the farms in Branford and North Haven. After completing her education at Mrs. Day's School in 1927, Hull enrolled in the Yale School of Fine Arts to study with Eugene Savage. While attending Yale, she met Henrik Martin Mayer, who she would marry at the family farm, Shepherds Point in Branford on July 2, 1932,[1] soon after her graduation with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. She and Henrik lived in New York City for a year after their marriage and then moved to Indianapolis, Indiana.[2]

Mural in Canton, MO post office

Career

While the couple was in New York, they worked together on a project to decorate the New York Cosmopolitan Club. Henrik was the lead designer on the project for the solarium murals and Mayer assisted him.[3][4] In Indianapolis, Mayer began working as a curator at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and painted four murals for the WPA Federal Arts Project.[1] She entered the competition for the post office in Lafayette, Indiana, but lost the commission to her husband. Instead, she was given the commission to paint the mural for the post office in Culver. Arrival of the Mail in Culver was completed in 1938 and featured students from the military academy and other residents looking at their mail.[5] The post office and mural have been designated as part of the Culver Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

In 1939, Mayer won a second commission to paint the mural for the post office in Jasper, Indiana. Indiana Farming Scene in Late Autumn depicts a harvest scene on a farmstead, with no indication of the town. The oil on canvas painting[7] was featured in a 1975 film, Art for Main Street: The Indiana Post Office Murals, produced by the Indiana Historical Society.[8] Her third successful Mural competition was for the post office in Canton, Missouri. Mayer's oil and tempera painting, Winter Landscape was installed in 1940 and had restoration work completed in both 1971 and 2005.[9] In 1941, Mayer's mural Corn School was hung in the post office in LaGrange, Indiana. The mural depicts the LaGrange County Courthouse and the annual fall festival hosted by the town.[10]

After World War II, the couple relocated to Essex, Connecticut, where Mayer continued to paint, focusing on botanical, landscape and marine subjects.[1][11] She participated in gallery showings[12][13] as well as juried exhibits, until at least 1993.[14]

Death and legacy

Mayer died on July 1, 2009 in Essex.[1]

References

Citations
  1. The Day 2009.
  2. Treasury Department Bulletin 1938, p. 91.
  3. Treasury Department Bulletin 1938, p. 12.
  4. Wethersfield Library 2008.
  5. Carlisle 2014.
  6. Thayer 1995, p. 8.
  7. Carlisle 1995, p. 57.
  8. The Herald 1975, p. 1.
  9. Delahaye 2015.
  10. Lehman 2014.
  11. The Day 1985, p. 17.
  12. The Day 1978, p. 26.
  13. The Day 1984, p. 13.
  14. The Day 1993, p. D7.

Bibliography
  • Carlisle, John C. (2014). "The Culver Post Office Mural". Culver Library. Culver, Indiana: Culver-Union Township Public Library. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Carlisle, John C. (1995). A Simple and Vital Design: The Story of the Indiana Post Office Murals. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-87195-110-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Delahaye, Daniel B. (September 2015). "New Deal Art in Post Offices". USPS. Washington, D.C.: Federal Preservation Office USPS Facilities. Retrieved 18 March 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Lehman, Octavia (September 20, 2014). "Colorful portraits". Kendallville, Indiana: KPCNews. Retrieved 18 March 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Thayer, Laura (November 20, 1995). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Culver Commercial Historic District". Washington, D. C.: National Park Service. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "A Library Treasure" (PDF). Wethersfield Library. Wethersfield, Connecticut. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  • "Jessie Hull Mayer, Indianapolis Painter, Wins Competition for Jasper, Indiana Post Office Mural". Treasury Department Art Projects Bulletin. Washington, D. C.: United States Treasury Department (17): 91. September 1938. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  • "Jessie (Hull) Mayer". New London, Connecticut: The Day. July 19, 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2017 – via legacy.com.
  • "Juried Artists exhibit at Slater". New London, Connecticut: The Day. April 3, 1993. p. D7. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  • "Maritime Gallery features art depicting coastal ships". New London, Connecticut: The Day. July 3, 1984. p. 13. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  • "Old Lyme show features artists". New London, Connecticut: The Day. June 17, 1985. p. 17. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  • "Post Office Mural Featured in Film". Jasper, Indiana: The Herald. May 16, 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 17 March 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Three artists showing works". New London, Connecticut: The Day. September 27, 1978. p. 26. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
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