Collection Information

Size: 0.2 linear ft.( 58 items).

Summary: Papers concerning murals by Foster, including a letter, 1938, and memo, 1937, from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Edward Bruce regarding Foster's murals for the post office in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (completed under the Section of Painting and Sculpture of the Treasury Department, 1938). Also includes clippings and photographs concerning Foster's W.P.A. post office murals in Cranford, Freehold, and Millburn, N.J., and in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; and an autobiographical speech about portrait painting, "Reflections of an Artist," 1982.

Biographical/Historical Note

Muralist, painter, illustrator. Died 1987. Studied at Princeton, at the National Academy of Design, and at the Art Students League. Worked for the Section of Painting and Sculpture of the Treasury Department. His post office mural in Freehold, N.J. made a favorable impression on Roosevelt, who encouraged him in his work on another mural in Pougkeepsie, N.Y.

Provenance

Donated 1986 by Gerald Foster.

Alternative Forms Available

Microfilm reel 3894 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.

Restrictions on Access

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

How to Cite This Collection

Gerald S. Foster papers, 1930-1982. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.