The Letter That Changed American Art
On May 9, 1933, George Biddle wrote a pivotal letter to his former Groton School classmate, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, proposing that the federal government hire American artists to paint murals in public buildings. Drawing on his study of fresco painting with Diego Rivera in Mexico, Biddle argued that the United States could create a national art movement that expressed the social ideals of the New Deal while providing dignified work for unemployed artists.
Roosevelt immediately forwarded Biddle’s proposal to the Treasury Department. Within months, the idea materialized into the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), the first federal program to employ artists during the Great Depression.
“The Mexican artists have produced the greatest national school of mural painting since the Italian Renaissance. The United States, with its rich field for mural painting, could do the same if it had the government’s support.”
— George Biddle, letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933
Biography
George Biddle (1885–1973) was an American painter, muralist, and lithographer whose advocacy helped launch the federal art programs of the New Deal. Born into a prominent Philadelphia family, Biddle initially pursued law, graduating from Harvard Law School before abandoning the profession to study art in Paris, Munich, and Tahiti.
His exposure to the Mexican mural movement profoundly shaped his belief that art should address social issues and serve the public. This conviction aligned perfectly with the cultural ambitions of Roosevelt’s early New Deal.
Role in the New Deal Art Programs
Biddle’s 1933 letter directly inspired the creation of the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which operated from December 1933 to June 1934. Though short‑lived, PWAP became the prototype for all subsequent federal art initiatives. In just six months, it employed more than 3,700 artists and produced over 15,000 works of public art.
The success of PWAP laid the foundation for the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, the Treasury Relief Art Project (TRAP), and the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP) — programs that collectively transformed the cultural landscape of the United States.
Artistic Style
Biddle’s own artwork blends social realism, satire, and humanist themes. His murals often depict the struggles of ordinary Americans, the dignity of labor, and the pursuit of justice. His most celebrated New Deal mural, Society Freed Through Justice (1936), is a five‑panel fresco that still adorns the Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C. The work juxtaposes tenement hardship with an idealized vision of a just society, reflecting Biddle’s belief in art as a moral force.
Legacy
George Biddle’s influence extends far beyond his own paintings. His advocacy provided the intellectual and administrative spark that enabled the federal government to support thousands of artists during the Great Depression. The cultural infrastructure he helped create continues to shape how Americans understand the role of art in public life.