- City:
- West Hartford, CT
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1937
- Completed:
- 1941
- Artist:
- Walter Korder
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Artist Walter Korder painted an extensive series of WPA murals for what was then Hall High School, and is now the Town Hall:
“His 1,000 square foot mural covers all four walls of Room 312 and chronicles main events in the history of Connecticut and throughout the New England area…
Korder completed the masterpiece in 1941 in what was originally a library when the building was known as Hall High School. The stunning detail and vibrant colors preserve a history that dates back to the Red Paint Man of Maine and the Algonquin Indians.
“It represents things that are not always represented,” Slifka said. “He was doing this in the 1930s which was a time when most people weren’t recognizing the fact that Native Americans were here first.”
The timeline pushes on to 1000 A.D. when Leif the Lucky – also known as Leif Ericson – landed in North America. Other main events such as the founding of Hartford in 1636 by Reverend Thomas Hooker and the American Revolutionary War come to life on the panels.
The mural ends in 1859 with the death of radical abolitionist John Brown and the prophecy of a Civil War.
Along the top of each section is a running narrative explaining what you are looking at in no more than a sentence…
The project took Korder four years to complete, starting in 1937 and ending in 1941. Funding for the project was cut in 1939 when only 750 square feet were completed. There is no record that Korder was paid for the remaining 250 square feet.” (https://patch.com)
Source notes
https://patch.com/connecticut/westhartford/history-comes-alive-in-town-hall-mural turleyct.com/archives/whl0514.pdfContribute to this Site
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My Father, sanford Low, partnered with Walter to paint many murals. Many were painted in the studio in the New Britain Art League in New Britain Connecticut.