The Armistice Letter (Mural Study, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Post Office)

Eugene Higgins, The Armistice Letter (Mural Study, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Post Office), ca. 1940-1941, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.101
Eugene Higgins, The Armistice Letter (Mural Study, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Post Office), ca. 1940-1941, oil on canvas, 18 1⁄4 x 32 1⁄4 in. (46.5 x 81.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.101

Artwork Details

Title
The Armistice Letter (Mural Study, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Post Office)
Artist
Date
ca. 1940-1941
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
18 1⁄4 x 32 1⁄4 in. (46.5 x 81.8 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Study — mural study
  • Recreation — leisure — letter reading and writing
  • New Deal — Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture — Pennsylvania
  • Occupation — farm — sowing
  • History — United States — World War II
  • Figure group — family
  • Landscape — Pennsylvania — Beaver Falls
Object Number
1965.18.101
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1965.18.101

Artwork Description

Eugene Higgins worked for the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, and in this mural study for the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, post office, he showed a farm family taking a break from their chores to read the day’s mail. The title tells us that the letter brings news of the end of World War I. Painted just before the United States entered the Second World War, Higgins’s mural anticipated the grim reality ahead. Bolts of lightning, rearing horses, and roiling clouds represent the looming conflict, while the dove of peace promises a brighter future after the storm has passed.

Works by this artist (22 items)

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Martin Lewis, Night in New York, 1926, etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.419
Night in New York
Artist
Date1926
etching on paper
Not on view
Martin Lewis, Shadow Magic, 1939, drypoint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1968.86.1
Shadow Magic
Artist
Date1939
drypoint on paper
Not on view
Martin Lewis, Quarter of Nine--Saturday's Children, 1929, etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Page Cross, 1971.50
Quarter of Nine – Saturday’s Children
Artist
Date1929
etching on paper
Not on view
Martin Lewis, Clearing Rain--Evening, Japan, 1927, drypoint and sand ground on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dewitt Hornor, 1978.77.5
Clearing Rain – Evening, Japan
Artist
Date1927
drypoint and sand ground on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Artist
Date1941-1952
linocut
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Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Artist
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Artist
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Image Not Available
Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Artist
Date1917
hand-colored etching on postcard
Not on view