TRIVIA: The Famous Constance Ortmayer

Do you know why Constance Ortmayer is famous and how her fame is connected to American numismatics?

Perhaps a bigraphical history lesson will help you.

Among the many alphabet agencies established by Roosevelt's New Deal government during the Great Depression, several were established to give relief to unemployed artists. One of those agencies was The Section (Treasury Section of Fine Arts). The Section was administered by the Treasury Department from a central Washington office run by Forbes Watson and Edward Bruce. This office selected all the artists and reviewed the progress of work for quality control. The program produced large numbers of murals and sculpture that can still be found across America


The Treasury Section of Fine Arts was established in October of 1934. It was to be a companion to the construction of federal buildings, which came under the Treasury Department at the time. Originally 1% of the cost of any new federal structure was to be set aside for the decoration of the structure, an arrangement which never worked. The two most common structures built under Roosrvelt's New Deal era were post offices and courthouses. In the end not all the buildings constructed during this period received decoration, but twenty-four works were created in Alabama (a typical number for a state of its size): twenty-three in post offices and one in a courthouse.


The standard New Deal post office carried a decorative allotment of $650-750, covering a space about twelve by five feet above the postmaster's door. The courthouses, larger and more costly, could pay a commission of up to $3,000 and covered much more extensive surfaces. From the allotted funds the artist was required to purchase all the necessary supplies and pay the costs of installation and photographs. Payment to the artist came in three installments: when the initial sketch was approved, when a scale drawing was approved, and when the final panel was verified as in-place by the local postmaster.
Although the Section remained committed to many of its original ideals (to produce high quality art for small-town America, to use local talent whenever possible, and to encourage local participation) they soon realized that anonymous competitions were too difficult for the small post office commissions. No such competitions were ever held in Alabama. The artists who produced murals in Alabama received the award based on work submitted for other sites, or for work done previously in Treasury programs.


The largest competition undertaken by the Section, The 48 States Competition, occurred in 1939. Over 3,000 entries were judged and the winning entries were placed in one post office in each state. The winner for Alabama was the mural by Robert Gwathmey in Eutaw, although his submitted sketch was actually for his home state of Virginia. The winners of the 48 States Competition were exhibited around the country and then shown in Life magazine in December of 1939.

The Section had favorite themes that could easily be worked into their preferred style. On their list of acceptable subjects were local or historical places or events, people of local fame, or scenes of daily life or postal history.


Of the original twenty-four works selected for Alabama only one is missing today. Several have been moved to new locations, and several of the buildings have been given new functions.

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Here's where we pick up our lighted magnifying glass and concentrate our attention to one artist and one Alabama City: Scottsboro: "Alabama Agriculture," Constance Ortmayer, 1940.


Ortmayer was teaching at Rollins College in Florida when she received the invitation to do a panel in Scottsboro. She chose a theme based on Alabama agriculture, especially cotton and corn. She described the final images: "Three phases of cotton growing form the theme of the central panel. On the right the cultivation of the crop is symbolized by the young man working with a hoe among the new plants. Opposite a young woman is depicted picking ripened bolls, and for the background, the processing and shipping of cotton is represented by the bales and the strong figure of a second young worker standing between them. Both of the flanking panels interpret the growing of corn. The young man and woman shown on the right are examining the fruit on the ripened stalks and the couple on the left are represented as workers who have harvested the new crop." The Section office wrote about the work in these words: "In a sculpture characterized by clean, flowing lines, Miss Ortmayer gives an exceptionally effective representation of the youthful strength and grace that each new generation brings to the agriculture of the south."


That "Alabama Agriculture" art work gracing the post office in Scottsboro, Alabama is not the only New Deal art work produced by Constance Ortmayer. Her sculpture titled "Arcadia" has been adorning the Arcadia, Florida Post Office since 1939 which is just three years after achieving her numismatic accomplishment.


What is that numismatic accomplishment?


Constance Ortmayer, living (1938 and 1939) in Washington D.C. designed the 1936 silver Half Dollar commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Cincinnati (Ohio) as a center of music in the United States of America. She executed a great artistic rendering of Stephen Foster on the obverse of the commemorative. The coin was struck at all three mints in mintages of:


Philadelphia - 5,005
Denver - 5,005
San Francisco - 5,006


Here'a photo of the commemorative Half Dollar courtesy of Coin Page and greattoning:


http://www.coinpage.com/coin-image-1159.html


Thought you might like to know...


Clinker

 

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Clinker, you just keep us all (in these parts) informed in the area of so called "artistic infusion". I thought that was a modern term but apparently it has it's roots in the era of the "New Deal". Once again, a great and informative read......

 

Great post. Very enjoyable to read and full of "new-to-me" information. Thanks.

 

Very interesting read, do you by any chance have a pic of the Panel in question?

 

Found it LOL

http://www.wpamurals.com/scottsbo.htm

would love to see a better pic of it though

 

To green18:

Hey Coin Talk contemporary...

Good to read another positive comment from you...!

Clinker

 

To Art:

Once again, you verbally pat me on the back over one of my "TRIVIA" posts. Wow, that feels good!

It prods me to find another little known numismatic tidbit to share...:bow:

Clinker

 

another great post clinker

 

Very nicely done article, thank you for sharing.

 

Thank you for sharing such interesting facts. Always a nice read.

 

randygeki:

Another grateful "Thank you" for yet another positive comment...

Clinker

 

To De Orc:

With the sculpture being where it is, under the roof eave and inside the restricting frame, you might have found the best picture of Ortmayers artwork asnd for that I, for one, thanks for finding the photo and shariung it with us/me!

Clinker

 

To Saor Alba:

It's my pleasure to share my articles with you and all other Coin Talk members...

Clinker

 

To ozland tiger:

It's Coin Talk members, like you, who comment (negatively or positively) about one or more of my "trivia" posts (including corrections, suggestions and/or addendums of photos or text to increase the value of a post that keeps me hunting for interesting and informative numismatic subjects...

Clinker

 

Oh that Constance Ortmayer Just kidding
I have admired a number of the murals in Federal buildings that I have visited over the years. Your research has pulled it all together for me. Very interesting and informative as usual Clinker, Keep up the good work! :thumb:

 

Hi Penny Guy...

Thanks for your kind words. Just one more thing, some websites say the art section of the New Deal was solely under WPA, but now you see, that is not the case.

Clinker

 

Excellent ! I wish our young "numismatists" would devote more time to such research. There is always, something to learn that you had not known before.

 

Hey PennyGuy...

Thanks for reading and your knid words...

Clinker

 

To coinmano456

As you probably know I'm 74 years old (young) and enjoy searching to learn more about my.our hobby...

Clinker

 

Thanks for the clever and informative post, Clinker.