Christian Petersen Sites

The veterinary building quadrangle contains a 1938 terra cotta mural by Christian Petersen. The large sculptured mural depicts a variety of scenes from veterinary life. The guiding vision behind the mural was "to depict the services the veterinary profession performs in conserving the life and health of domestic animals, thereby safeguarding the health of humans. Dean Stange envisioned a bas relief mounted in a huge wall of the courtyard so that students and faculty would see the mural every day and be reminded of the professional achievements and goals of their curriculum in veterinary medicine."   (https://vetmed.iastate.edu)

Christian Petersen created this sculpture "The Gentle Doctor" out of terra cotta in 1937-38. Both the original and a bronze copy are now located at ISU: "This sculpture has been recognized by veterinary schools throughout the United States and the world as an international symbol of veterinary medicine. The sculpture depicts a vet who is holding a sick or wounded puppy. At the doctor's feet is the mother of the puppy looking upward with concern. The Gentle Doctor stands almost seven feet tall. The original terra cotta sculpture sustained weather damage over time and was recast in bronze. It now stands...

The Food Sciences Building courtyard contains a 1934 fountain decorated with six bas-relief panels created by artist Christian Petersen under the Public Works of Art Project: "This mural, composed of six bas relief panels flanking a central fountain, depicts the history of the dairy industry in Iowa and America. The first three panels, located to the left of the fountain, depict the 19th century processes involved with the dairy production. At that time, everyone in the family took part in the milk production process: hand milking, straining, butter churning, and hauling milk to town were all part of the process before...