6x24 inches
acrylic, watercolor paper, kraft paper on stained maple panel
$495

The Jobs of Yesteryear series combines history and surrealism to tell the stories of obsolete jobs. A contemporary glimpse into the past, these mixed media paintings serve as a reminder of a time and stories long forgotten.

This particular Job of Yesteryear mixed media painting features a mailman. Postal systems date back to 2,000 B.C. in Ancient Egypt, when the pharaoh would send directives to the far reaches of his territory using foot messengers. The earliest surviving piece of mail is from this system and dates back to 225 B.C. The modern US Postal Service was established in 1775 by its first Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin. It has undergone many changes over the years as mail has been delivered by mule, horse, and even missiles, but most of us know it by the ubiquitous mail carriers that continue the service nationwide in their cool little trucks. One big change came about in the 1980s, when USPS started converting zip codes into barcodes, which are easily read by sorting machines.

The Mailman was created with acrylic paint, and the long-limbed character was cut from paper and collaged with kraft paper. The Jobs of Yesteryear are thought-provoking conversation pieces that will bring an air of history and whimsy to any room.