George Washington Preparatory High School: Lundeberg Mural

City:: Los Angeles, CA
Site Type:: Murals, Art Works
New Deal Agencies:: Federal Arts Project (FAP), Arts Programs
Completed:: 1941
Artists:: Donald Totten, Helen Lundeberg
Quality of Information:: Good
Marked:: Unknown
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

Helen Lundeberg, assisted by Donald Totten, painted a two-panel mural at George Washington Preparatory High School in Los Angeles, CA. The panels, titled “Valley Forge, 1777” and “Yorktown, 1781,” are located in the auditorium’s interior foyer. Completed in 1941, the mural was funded by the Federal Art Project (FAP).

“Valley Forge, 1777” depicts George Washington against a snowy background as he assists a fallen soldier towards a fire. “Yorktown, 1781” depicts George Washington standing before a church with a pen in his right hand and a sword in his left. Both murals are made of plaster and petrochrome and feature the title and artist’s name below the figures.

Lundeberg’s other FAP works in the region include a pair of murals, “Quests of Mankind” (1940), at Canoga Park High School in Canoga Park, CA; a pair of murals, “History of Southern California” and “History of Early California” (1941) at Venice High School in Los Angeles, CA; and a mural, “History of Transportation” (1942), in Inglewood, CA.