- City:
- Wappingers Falls, NY
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Arts Programs, Treasury Section of Fine Arts (TSFA)
- Artist:
- Henry Billings
Description
The old post office, now village hall contains two Section of Fine Arts murals by Henry Billings:
“The two Wappinger[s] Falls murals are located in the Town Hall, a Dutchess County Historical site, and formerly the town’s post office. The paintings by Henry Billings show two views of the town’s waterfall at different points in time. The building itself is walking distance from the actual waterfall…
The murals are painted on chestnut panels and fill the triangular space where the ceiling of the building is pitched. The two views, one from 1780 and the other from 1880, face each other from opposite ends of the small building.
The 1780 picture was inspired by the diary of the Marquis de Chastellux, who is shown in conversation with Peter Meseir, whose house the town hall was modeled after. The 1880 scene was taken from an old painting of the falls when Wappinger[s] Falls was a major industrial water source.”
(The Mural Project)
Source notes
"The Mural Project - The Hudson River Valley Institute" www.hudsonrivervalley.org/library/pdfs/muralsfieldreport.pdf https://www.livingplaces.com/NY/Dutchess_County/Wappingers_Falls_Village/Wappingers_Falls_Post_Office.htmlAt this Location:
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