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"Construction of a Dam," by William Gropper, oil on canvas, 1939. "Construction of a Dam" not only focuses on the technological achievements of the Bureau of Reclamation, but is also a celebration of the strength and dignity of the citizen-worker. Social realist painter, lithographer, and cartoonist, William Gropper based this mural on the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River and Davis Dam on the Colorado River. Born in New York City in 1897, Gropper is well known for his cartoons and illustrations published in the New York Tribune, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and New York World, as well as more liberal publications like the Yiddish Communist Daily, The Masses, The Revolutionary Age, The Rebel Worker, and the Communist Daily Worker. Gropper detested capitalism and although he was never a member of the Communist Party USA, his inclusion of communist imagery suggests his political affiliation. The insertion of red bandannas throughout the piece and impressions of a hammer and sickle in the far-right panel are just some indications of the artist's communist sympathies.

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