In the years between 1936 and 1943, some three hundred artworks--primarily murals but also some sculptures, terra-cotta reliefs, and limestone reliefs--were installed in federal buildings throughout the South as part of a nationwide project by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The murals depicted aspects of southern history and life ranging from scenes of Indians and settlers to portraits of modern life and industry. In Depression Post Office Murals and Southern Culture, Sue Bridwell Beckham investigates the cultural implications of the Section murals. She makes use of the extensive correspondence preserved in the Section records to sound the values of working- and lower-middle-class white southerners, who voiced their objections to the murals as well as their approval; the attitudes of the artists who painted the murals; and the outlook of the Section itself, which had strong views about art and what was appropriate. --jacket.

From the back cover of the book, quoted in part:"The America Karal Ann Marling (the author) refers to is small-town America during the depression era; in particular those communities that were portrayed in the 1000-odd murals that appeared in post offices around the country under the auspices of the Treasury Department Section of Fine Arts. She goes far beyond an investigation of the murals as art, and 'Wall to Wall America' becomes an intelligent, often irreverent, discussion of popular taste and culture during the depression decade. "

The United States government got into the art business when it instituted a series of programs to keep artists working during the Depression years. Tennessee received its fair share, and most of the original thirty are still in existence. A few have been moved to different locations, but the author notes that most of the murals “are still on that same wall in the same small post office in that same small town where they were placed so long ago.” Unfortunately, many people are not aware of these murals—even in the areas where they are located. Written for the purpose of enhancing the knowledge of Tennesseans about the murals found in their post offices, this book will be of interest to artists and historians as well. Hull has included numerous photographs along with his descriptions of each mural and its composition, the mural’s relation to history, and a biographical sketch of each artist.