Detail from Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
Description
The New Deal is responsible for a magnificent array of artworks that embellish the Department of Justice building. The Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artists to create 68 murals between 1936 and 1941 for $68,000, or one percent of the building cost. The building’s murals depict scenes of daily life from American history and allegories on the role of justice in American society.
Henry Varnum Poor painted a complex, 12-panel fresco mural, “Justice Department Bureaus and Divisions,” in 1936.
The first set of panels around the doorways of rooms 5111 and 5114 depict the activities of the Bureau of Prisons and the Attorney General arguing a case before the Supreme Court.
The second set of panels around the doorways of rooms 5137 and 5138 illustrates the activities of the Bureau of Lands and Customs and includes the surveying of Indian lands in the Southwest and the beginnings of scientific crime detection by the FBI.
The frescoes are located on the fifth floor of the Kennedy building.
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Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Detail from Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Detail from Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Detail from Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Detail from Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Detail from Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
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Signature on Henry Varnum Poor murals, Dept of Justice - Washington DC
Source notes
U.S. Department of Justice, The Robert F. Kennedy Building: Celebrating Art and Architecture on the 75th Anniversary, 1934-2009, pp. 53-56.
Project originally submitted by Charles Swaney on March 14, 2014.
Additional contributions by Richard A Walker.
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.
SUBMIT MORE INFORMATION OR PHOTOGRAPHS FOR THIS SITE
I would like to visit the HV Poor Murals at the Dept of Justice when visiting DC from the 18th -21st of February.
Will you advise if I need an appointment/reservation to do so?
thank you
For this info, you’ll need to contact the D of J directly.