Interior's 1930's-era Murals

There are over twenty-five (25) murals and sculpture throughout the Main Interior Building. Below is a sampling.

Mitchell Jamieson's 'An Incident in Contemporary American Life.' This mural shows the crowd reacting to the emotional impact of Marian Anderson's singing at her Lincoln Memorial concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939. Link to a larger image and description of the mural.

An Incident in Contemporary American Life
by Mitchell Jamieson
Tempera on canvas
Commissioned 1940, Installed 1942

The work depicts Marian Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial after being denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Interior Secretary Harold Ickes provided the use of the Lincoln Memorial for her concert. The mural shows the emotional impact of Anderson’s singing on the crowd.

Millard Owen Sheets' 'The Negro's Communication in the Social and Cultural Development of America:Science' shows three African-American men in lab coats working in a lab. Link to a larger image and description of the mural.

The Negro’s Contribution in the Social and Cultural Development of America: Science
by Millard Sheets
Oil on canvas
Commissioned 1939, Installed 1948

A series of four murals depict the influence of African Americans in the four topics: Education, the Arts, Religion, and Science. Sheets tried to not over-dramatize the content of the murals but rather tried to simply state his deep respect for African Americans and their cultural contributions.

Maynard Dixon's 'Indian and Soldier' shows a scout carrying a sharp's rifle and a soldier resting on his sword face two Indians. One Indian has a war club, the other a pipe of peace. The figures are silhouetted against a tipi and a broad sweep of Western Prairie Sky. Link to a larger image and description of the mural.

Indian and Soldier
by Maynard Dixon
Oil on canvas
Commissioned 1937, Installed 1939

Dixon’s work represent the themes of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and symbolize the transition of the Indian from warrior to farmer and the immense loss of Indian culture involved. Note the thickening clouds and disappearing buffalo, signifying the end of an era (the traditional way of life for Indians), and the vastness of the West and how the figures stand against empty space.

John Steuart Curry's 'The Oklahoma Land Rush, April 22, 1889' depicts the race at full tilt, in covered wagons, on horseback, on bicycle. Link to a larger image and description of the mural.

Rush for the Oklahoma Land of 1894
by John Steuart Curry
Oil on canvas
Commissioned 1937, Installed 1939

The mural treats westward expansion as highly romantic and heroic. Curry captures the seconds after the great gunshot that launched the Oklahoma land rush. It is pure emotion in motion.

William Gropper's 'Construction of a Dam' Three dramatic panels showing the drama of labor and dam construction. Depicted are: workers putting together steel framework; a large half section of a conduit; cranes; men working. Link to a larger image and description of the mural.

Construction of a Dam
by William Gropper
Oil on canvas
Commissioned 1937, Installed 1939

The mural glorifies not just public works projects, but work itself. It also depicts the drama, dignity, and strength of labor. It is the most reproduced mural from the Interior building.

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