Work of the Petroleum Division of the Bureau of Mines

The two panels that compose Work of the Petroleum Division of the Bureau of Mines depict the broad scope of the oil industry: production, refining, distribution, and use. Set in a landscape representative of the oil-producing areas of the United States, production and refining are the main subjects of the mural on the east wall. Groups of men survey the land and lay a pipeline for the distribution of crude oil. Throughout the background, Britton also illustrates one of the most emblematic features of the industry: the drilling rigs. The mural subtly reflects the large workforce required on the drilling site, an issue of particular importance during the New Deal.

The refinery is the central image of the panel on the west wall. Surrounding the refinery are many facets of contemporary life that are made possible by petroleum. Britton includes personal transportation, motorized agricultural equipment, and the U.S. Postal Service’s use of aircraft for mail distribution.

The Bureau of Mines was dissolved in 1996 and its responsibilities were transferred to other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Edgar Britton was born in 1901 in Kearney, Nebraska. He studied at the University of Iowa before moving to Cedar Rapids, where he studied painting and drawing under regionalist painter Grant Wood. In Chicago, Britton worked with Edgar Miller for several years, using diverse mediums for his designs. Throughout the mid-to-late 1930s, Britton created numerous frescoes in Chicago-area high schools for the Public Works Project Administration.