July 25, 1936
Artist John Augustus Walker installed 11 murals for the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Mobile’s Old City Hall, now the History Museum of Mobile. The brightly colored oil murals depicted the history of Mobile and included subjects such as Mardi Gras, transportation, education and slavery. They were the only WPA mural project awarded to Mobile, and Walker received $145 for his work. In 1939, Walker contracted with the WPA and Alabama Extension Service to produce 29 watercolor murals depicting the state’s agricultural history. His works won many awards and continue to stand as prime examples of WPA-related and Great Depression-era art.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Murals by John Augustus Walker on permanent display in the Museum of Mobile, Mobile, AL, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
Murals by John Augustus Walker on permanent display in the Museum of Mobile, Mobile, AL, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
Murals by John Augustus Walker on permanent display in the Museum of Mobile, Mobile, AL, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
Murals by John Augustus Walker on permanent display in the Museum of Mobile, Mobile, AL, 2010. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
