Unloading the Mail

In the 1930s, New York City was booming. The previous decade witnessed the rise of skyscrapers (including the iconic Chrysler and Empire State buildings), massive construction projects, and the expansion of the subway system. Despite the economic hardships of the Great Depression, the city remained vibrant, welcoming an influx of refugees from Europe and electing the ambitious mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, who encouraged both urban development and ethnic diversity. New York showcased its strength and innovation by hosting the 1939 World's Fair. The city was also a major hub of national and international transportation, including mail delivery. Its shipping port was one of the busiest in the nation, as was its main post office. Reginald Marsh took this thriving postal center as the subject of his murals, his first project using the fresco technique.

Unloading the Mail emphasizes the international communication allowed by the exchange of mail. Marsh was inspired by his visits to RMS Berengaria docked in New York harbor. The ship was one of the largest in the Cunard Line, a transatlantic shipping company dating back over a century, which brought mail to American shores from around the globe. It is clear from his sketches that Marsh closely observed the exterior of the ship, but in the mural he focused on the activities that occurred in the harbor boat. Mailbags from France, Austria, Sweden, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and India are being transferred from the ocean liner onto a harbor boat that will take the cargo to shore for distribution. The recently enhanced New York skyline can be glimpsed out the window on the left and, in the mural's lower left corner, a man takes careful note of the mail being received.