Village Post Office

The general store not only sold food and household goods, but also acted as a post office, a source of news, and a meeting place. Men would play checkers and discuss the news, while other customers purchased what they needed. This painting shows the variety of things available and the variety of people that frequented the general store.

 

Bibliographic Information:

Village Post Office, 1873, Thomas Waterman Wood, oil on canvas, H: 36 1/4 x W: 47 1/4 in. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, Gift of Stephen C. Clark, N0393.1955. Photograph by Richard Walker.