Card 117 honors artist and post office muralist, Marion Gilmore. Ms. Gilmore was part of the Social (not Socialist!) Realist movement of the 1930s. Gilmore’s post office mural, The Band Concert, is a great example of how art can frighten people — particularly, people who prefer a sugar-coated version of reality. Gilmore’s study for the mural included a sculpturized (I just made up that word) version of a cannon and a Washington monument-like obelisk. While most of us today would say, “What’s the big darned deal?”, officials in 1941 were not having it. I guess they thought that cannon and obelisks were not items that evoked a sense of idyllic rural life. Thus the items were not included in the final mural composition.
COVID Card #117
Cards 1-100
To learn more about any of the first 100 cards, select a number from the list below.
COVID Cards
The United States Postal Service has been hit hard by the pandemic. Controlling elements of the Federal Government (the president and Republican Senate) do not want to provide aid to the service. So, it’s up to us. It may seem insignificant, but if we all sent just a few letters a week, we could help ensure that our daily, free mail delivery service continues. For the past (see the card number above) days, I have drawn a card each day and mailed it to someone the next day (none are sent on Sundays; two are sent on Mondays). Please consider mailing cards and letters while we still can for 55 cents (first class letter postage). If the USPS fails, you could find it costs $8 or more to send a letter. And that’s just one of the ways we will all lose if the USPS shuts down.