The mural Indians Watching Stagecoach in the Distance by Eduard Ulreich (1937) now welcomes visitors to the National

Archives at Kansas City.

44 Prologue Fall 2010

 W
hen the National Archives at Kansas City pre-
pared to move from its remote location on the
outskirts of the city to a new building in the

New Life
heart of the city’s cultural area, staff expressed some concern
about the new building’s look, style, and interior décor.
“The new building needs artwork,” said former
Regional Administrator Reed Whitaker.

for
Loosely translated, that meant he wanted something
outside of the realm of National Archives records. He
wanted something that would drive home the idea that

WPA Art
the federal government has an impact on areas not usually
considered to be within normal government activity. He
wanted public art.
The staff immediately asked the General Services
Administration (GSA) about the Works Progress
Kansas City Administration (WPA) program and its public art pieces
done in the 1930s. Within days the GSA located two
Archives murals, Indians Watching Stagecoach in the Distance and
Pony Express, which were in a storage facility in Virginia.

Brings Murals These pieces had been painted by Eduard Ulreich for a
post office in Columbia, Missouri.
At that point, Whitaker gave the approval, and the
Out of Storage Kansas City staff began navigating through the bureau-
cratic red tape in order to acquire, conserve, and install
the two murals.
The two paintings now hang in the halls of the National
Archives in Kansas City, but the process of bringing them
to their current location unearthed a story of an artist
who traveled around the country and abroad, soaking
up the nation’s culture and leaving murals depicting the
By Kimberlee Ried By Bruce Bustard

American story in places famous and obscure.

An Artist Among the Archives

—Raised in Kansas City
Eduard “Buk” Ulreich was born in Hungary in 1889
and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. His mother died
when he was five, and Ulreich was raised by his father
and three older sisters. U.S. census records show his fa-
ther’s occupation as a cobbler who owned a shoe shop in
Kansas City.
In 1908 Ulreich enrolled in the Fine Arts Institute
(later known as the Kansas City Art Institute) and spent
two years studying different artistic styles. On the occa-
sion of an early art exhibition in Kansas City, Ulreich
was quoted in a 1909 Kansas City Times article, “I don’t
remember when I first began to draw things. When I was

New Life for WPA Art Prologue 45

Left: Eduard Ulreich grew up in Kansas City, where his father had a shoe shop. Right: Eduard Ulreich in Paris, 1925. Successful commercial art designs, exhibitions, and
sales of his work allowed him and his wife to travel abroad and spend a year in Paris.
5 or 6 years old, I suppose I know it was the
one thing that interested me in school.”
Ulreich received the William L. Elkins
Scholarship to attend the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts, which he attended
from 1912 to 1915. During his time in art
school, Ulreich took a year off and traveled
the American West, including time spent at
the Pine Ridge (South Dakota) and White
Mountain (Arizona) Indian Reservations.
In addition, he was hired as a cowboy by the
Chiricahua Cattle Company. After his time
spent exploring the west, the Kansas City Times
interviewed Ulreich and noted that one Fine
Arts Institute instructor stated that Ulreich
was “one of the most promising young artists
I’ve ever seen.” Yet his friends questioned his
skill and ability, noting that “there was no trace
of art in his ancestry that anyone knew of.”
Upon his return to the Pennsylvania art
school, his fellow students coined the nick-
name “Buk” after hearing of his travels to
the American West. In 1913 and 1914,
Ulreich won the Cresson Memorial Traveling
Scholarship, allowing him to travel abroad
twice and study in Europe for two years.
46 Prologue
He visited several European cities includ-
ing Madrid, Munich, and Paris. His time in
Madrid “sparked a lifelong passion for Spanish
music, dance, and bull fighting,” according
to his grandniece, Katherine Burkhardt. His
travels abroad were abruptly curtailed as World
War I broke out. After returning to the United
States, Ulreich pursued a career as a com-
mercial artist and designed covers for Vogue
and magazine ads for Mack Trucks, Guerlain
Perfumes, and Victor Red Seal Records.
After World War I Ends,
Ulreich Heads for California
With America’s entry into World War I,
Ulreich enlisted and spent two months on
active duty in Hempstead, New York. The
1973 National Personnel Records Center fire
in St. Louis destroyed his individual military
service record. However, census documents
from the time period indicate Ulreich’s pro-
fession as a chauffeur and artist.
After the war, Ulreich traveled west again
and spent time in Los Angeles. While there
he met Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, and
Martha Graham. The three had formed a
dance company a few years earlier, Denishawn
School of Dancing and Related Arts. Ulreich
was asked to create a frieze for the interior
of the studio’s building and was compen-
sated with dance lessons from Graham. He
remained in contact with Graham for the rest
of his life and used the rhythm and movement
learned in dancing as inspiration for much of
his later painting.
Eventually Ulreich landed in Chicago and
married Nura G. Woodson, a Kansas City
native and fellow artist, in 1921. The decade
of the 1920s was good to the couple. In 1923
they relocated to New York City, settling in a
Manhattan studio.
He continued working on commercial art
designs and also presented several exhibi-
tions in Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City,
and New York. Selling his works allowed
the couple to travel abroad and spend a year
in Paris, where they had two exhibitions of
their artwork. In the fall of 1929, he was
chosen to do several pieces for a show titled
“Modern Americans.” It opened in New
York City three days after the stock market
crashed on October 29.
Fall 2010
 Given the economic times of the 1930s,
Ulreich, like many artists, began to pursue
public art commissions in order to sustain
a living. In 1932 he was selected as the win-
ner of a contest for the Chicago Century of
Progress International Exposition. His mural
measured 430 feet by 30 inches and was cre-
ated for the Industrial Arts Pavilion. Later
in the same year he was chosen to paint a
mural for Radio City Music Hall, in New
York. His work depicts a western scene titled
The Wild West and was finished just before the
hall opened. It still hangs in the third floor
men’s lounge.

A National Competition
For Murals in Missouri
Records created by the Public Buildings
Service indicate that in 1936 Ulreich entered
a national competition, a popular way to re-
cruit WPA artists during the New Deal, and
submitted a “competent design” according to
Ed Rowan, superintendent of the Section of
Painting and Sculpture.
This design was for what would become
the two Columbia, Missouri, murals known
as The Stage Coach and Pony Express. They
were commissioned by the Department of the
In his mural Spirit of North Carolina Ulreich sought to depict the diverse topography, economy, and history of
that state.
Ulreich produced his mural Pony Express through a commission from the Department of the Treasury’s Section
of Painting and Sculpture as a part of the WPA Fine Arts program in 1937.
Treasury’s Section of Painting and Sculpture
as a part of the WPA Fine Arts program in
1937. Ulreich was paid $1,580 for the murals
and was advised to visit the post office and
view the space where his work would be dis-
played. The expectation was that the murals
would be complementary pieces, to be hung
across from each other on the west and east
walls of the building.
Correspondence between Ulreich and
Rowan indicate questions about how the
murals would be mounted on the wall and
whether using a wall paste would attract
worms. In addition, concerns over scaffold-
ing were evident. In the correspondence files
a note from Nura advised Rowan that:
Buk is one of the finest artists in this
country. . . . [H]e is able, hard working,
and deadly in earnest in anything he un-
dertakes. However, he is the traditional
artist in one sense, and that he is vision-
ary, and not always practical. . . .
When Buk undertook these murals,
I made the suggestion that he make a
definite tie-up with something under the
Interior Department’s jurisdiction,—
something specific. I think that American
Indian is under their direction, as is the
wild game, national monuments and
parks, etc. also the Department’s func-
tion when it comes to edibles or their
ingredients produced in this country.

Prologue 47
 Now I’m only a wife, so my suggestions
are not too seriously taken. However,
the same thing from the ones concerned
naturally carries weight. I only mention
this, not in the spirit of criticism, but
that you may know the temperament of
the artists, and co-operate with him in
such a manner as will bring out the best
he has to give,—which we both know
is plenty good. I do not wish to burden
you, but if you could make some con-
crete suggestions in your pleasant tactful
way, I’m sure you would save him from
running around in circles, and arrive
more quickly at just what you want. . . .
I shall be grateful if you will “play like”
this never was written, but that some
spirit watching over the world of artists
had whispered it to you so you might
be better informed on just the situation
as it stands. In the post–World War II years, Ulreich continued painting and offering art lessons in his New York City
studio. Of all his works, the images created during his time as a WPA artist have survived the longest.
Nura’s desire for her husband to be success-
ful is evident in this intimate correspondence.
It is reflected in future letters between the would house eight panels depicting the his- portrayed the Dacotah Indians in hunting
artist and Rowan as their professional rela- tory of Florida, with titles such as Five Flags regalia. Ulreich was quoted in a local news-
tionship developed over the next few years over Florida, Ponce de Leon, Primitive Florida, paper article the day the pieces were installed
during Buk’s period of employment by the The India Oceola, and Modern Florida. as saying, “in choosing the subject matter . . .
Section of Fine Arts. Correspondence between Ulreich and it seemed appropriate to portray the Indians
Rowan indicate at this point a friendship from whom the state derived its name. I feel
A Major Project in Florida between the superintendent and artist. In a that Americans should become more famil-
And a Deepening Friendship letter from the fall of 1937 states that “Nura iar with the beauty and character of the red
During the production of the Columbia and I enjoyed so much meeting your wife and man. Because the white man wished to justify
murals, Rowan informed Ulreich that a com- family and the delightful evening spent with their greed for land, the Indian, unfairly, was
mission was being sought for a Tallahassee, you all. I’ll bet you have a wonderful place often placed in an unfavorable light and it
Florida, project. This time another post office when your plants come to full bloom.” has been my endeavor to portray them in
Although Ulreich’s friendship with Rowan the high character in which I see them.” For
was collegial and influential in his artistic this one piece Ulreich was paid $840 by the
To learn more about endeavors, not everyone was a fan of his Section of Fine Arts, the least of all his federal
• Another Missouri muralist, creations. Shortly after the installation of facility works.
Thomas Hart Benton, go to the Tallahassee murals, the postmaster com- As the 1940s began, Ulreich completed his
www.archives.gov/publications/
mented that Ulreich’s murals “were entirely last WPA piece, Spirit of North Carolina, for
prologue/index/, and click on
Spring 2009. too gaudy and colorful. They appear to be the Concord, North Carolina, post office. In
• The new quarters of the National Archives at more nearly of the advertising type picture his words, the Spirit of North Carolina was
Kansas City, go to www.archives.gov/publication/ than art.” The murals are still on display at to depict “the topography of the great state
prologue/index/, and click on Spring 2009.
• The holdings of the National Archives at the Tallahassee Federal Court House. of North Carolina—the high western moun-
Kansas City, go to www.archives.gov/central- Buk’s next WPA commission was for the tains, the Piedmont section and the coastal
plains/kansas-city/. New Rockford, North Dakota, post office. In plain with its bordering fringe of sea islands.”
the work, titled Advance Guard of the West, he In 1942, after the work was installed, the

48 Prologue Fall 2010

Concord postmaster wrote, “it is a thing of
great beauty and has attracted much favor-
able comment from our patrons.”
The mural was in place until the late
1960s, when the post office was decommis-
sioned as a federal building and the painting
was removed. By the 1970s, the work was in
private hands and had suffered water damage
over the years. As of 2008 the GSA deter-
mined the work to be “destroyed.” Ulreich
was paid a total of $1,200 for the Concord
mural; the Tallahassee murals generated his
highest WPA commission, $3,500.
The Final Years: Teaching
In New York and Remarriage
Throughout the remainder of his career,
Ulreich continued painting and offering art
lessons in his New York City studio. During
World War II, he, like other men born during
the late 1800s, registered for the Fourth Draft
Registration, known as the “old man’s draft,”
although he was never called upon to serve.
Nura died in 1950, and shortly thereafter
Ulreich remarried. He never achieved in-
ternational status as an artist but has been
viewed as a modernist who completed many
paintings and murals for viewing by the com-
mon man. Of all his works, the images cre-
ated during his time as a WPA artist have
survived the longest.
Ulreich’s Fourth Draft Registration card for World War II shows his New York City address and his birthplace
of Koseg, Hungary.
His death was recorded on July 17, 1966,
in San Francisco, and his death certificate
states the cause of death as “coronary arterio-
sclerosis,” commonly known as heart disease.
His second wife, Virginia (Geni) is listed as
the next of kin, and his final occupation is as
an artist. As of a few years ago Geni was still
living, a resident of California, as confirmed
by Buk’s relatives.
Ulreich’s pieces, The Stage Coach, later
retitled Indians Watching Stagecoach in the
Distance, and Pony Express now hang in the
halls of the National Archives in Kansas City
as examples of the modernist art movement.
In 2004 his grandniece Katherine
Burkhardt produced a paper titled “Eduard
Ulreich, A Retrospective: The Evolution of
a Modernist.” She observed that Ulreich’s
painting style was based upon spiritual beliefs
born from his adherence to Christian Science
philosophy and teachings.
Through his military service and artis-
tic career, Buk Ulreich’s story is told in the
records of the National Archives, the same
as many American citizens. By having the
murals on display at the National Archives
at Kansas City, the goal of proving that the
federal government is more than a complex
bureaucracy has been accomplished. Such
public art can be viewed and enjoyed by
generations to come. P
She holds a bachelor’s degree in American history, with
emphasis on sociology and cultural anthropology from
the University of Missouri, and a master’s in library sci-
ence from Emporia State University.
Note on Sources
Materials from the Works Progress Administration
records can be found at the National Archives in
College Park, Maryland. This includes several se-
ries from Record Group 121, Records of the Public
Buildings Service. Series used for this article are
Case Files Concerning Embellishments of Federal
Buildings, 1934–1943; Technical Questionnaires,
1936–1938; and Biographical Data File Concerning
Artists, 1938. Documents found within these series
include technical information about the WPA mu-
ral projects along with correspondence sent from
the superintendent of the Section of Painting and
Sculpture. Other documents include contractual
agreements in regards to payment for the paintings;
newspaper stories focusing on the unveiling of the
various murals; personal notes written by the artist
and his wife; and photographs or sketches of the
murals in various stages of production.
Additional materials related to Ulreich’s military
service were located at the National Archives at New
York with assistance from the National Archives at
St. Louis. This includes information about his vet-
erans service file and the Fourth Draft Registration
card from the Selective Service.
Other resources available on the artist and his
wife include a clippings file found at The Kansas City
Star newspaper morgue, spanning 1909–1985. A
complete biographical file in PowerPoint format
is available at the University of Missouri Museum
of Art and Archaeology. The biographical file was
researched and compiled by Ulreich’s grandniece,
Katherine Burkhardt in 2004. Much of her source
material is based on letters kept by Ulreich spanning
1910–1966.
Anita Price Davis’s New Deal Art in North
Carolina (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2009)
includes specific detail on the Concord, North
Carolina, mural. Her research was based on docu-
ments at the National Archives, The Kansas City Star,
and interviews with former postmasters.
The author wishes to especially thank the National
Archives staff who assisted in locating records related
to Buk Ulreich: Patrick Connelly (National Archives
at New York), Gene Morris (National Archives at
College Park), and Wanda Williams (National
Archives at St. Louis). Additionally, Jeffrey Wilcox,
curator of collections at the University of Missouri
Museum of Art and Archaeology, provided useful
information on Ulreich along with Steve Burkhardt,
nephew of the artist.
Author
Kimberlee Ried is the public pro-
grams specialist for the National
Archives at Kansas City and has
been with the agency since 2003.
Prologue 49