Shiloh Museum of Ozark History Mural – Springdale AR

Description

This mural “Local Industries” by Natalie Henry was completed with support from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1940. It was originally in the Springville Post Office, but it is now on display at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History.

From the University of Central Arkansas: “Natalie Henry was commissioned to create a mural for Springdale, Arkansas as a result of an Honorable Mention in a Section of Fine Arts competition. She visited town and observed that most farms within the area had vineyards and orchards and that the houses were quite well maintained. She used her father, brother, and brother-in-law as models for the figures within the composition. After installing the mural in Springdale, she returned to Malvern, Arkansas and was given a tea party in honor of completing her first commercial project.

“The mural shows people engaged in the typical pursuits of that prosperous agricultural community: grape, strawberry, and orchard growing, as well as poultry raising. On the left, a poultry buyer handles a chicken while a boy and small girl are feeding others. On the right a strawberry buyer examines the berries and bargains for the output of the field. In the middle background are other crops, merging into other farms, and in the distance are the rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains.” (cms.uca.edu)