1927: Divine Law

Violet Oakley - Divine Law

Violet Oakley - Divine Law Mural (1927)Beginning in 1902, Violet Oakley spent twenty-five years painting the murals that adorn the Pennsylvania state capitol building in Harrisburg.  The image above is a study for her “Divine Law” mural in the Supreme Court, part of a series illustrating the evolution of law throughout history. The face of truth gazes into the room, the earth below surrounded by stars and planets. The words “DIVINE,” “LAW,” “LOVE,” and “WISDOM” are incorporated into the design. The murals were installed on May 23, 1927. (Sources here, here, and here)

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1940s: Panorama

West Street Panorama

Multi-photo panorama of West Street from Rector Street to Morris Street, New York City (1940’s)
Click for detail!

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1933: Deluge

Felix E. Feist - Deluge (1933)

Felix E. Feist, director: Deluge (1933)

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1400: Rain God

Rain-god vessel (1200-1500 CE); Mexico, Colima, el Chanal

This Mixtec figure from the Middle Post Classic Period (1200-1400) represents a person impersonating a deity—a practice whereby the god would have been brought into the world of human experience. The undersized symbolic weapon and shield, as well as the crouching position, indicate that this a shaman warrior; the coyote-like mask is representative of the deity. (sources here and here)

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1950: Costume Party

Marlene Dietrich Costume - 1950

Flashbak says this: “The hocus-pocus magic of papier-mache masks brought Hollywood and German movie stars together in Berlin for a few hours of make-believe, Feb. 14, 1950. The skillful hands of Peter Ludwig plus members of Berlin’s artist colony and university students had an evening of fun to relax from the Cold War atmosphere. Here, after the party, all are sleepy and a mask of Marlene Dietrich rests on the lap of a reveler”but I haven’t been able to verify any of that.

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1898: Spring Flood

Stanislav Zhukovsky - Spring Flood (1898)

Stanislav Zhukovsky: Spring Flood (1898)

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1964: Books

Paul Strand - Anna Attinga Frafra, Acca, Ghana (1964)

Paul Strand: Anna Attinga Frafra, Acca, Ghana (1964)

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1805 BC: Game of Hounds and Jackals

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A board game from the reign of Amenemhat IV (c. 1814–1805 BC) (source)

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1972: Sea

Gerhard Richter - Sea (1972)

Gerhard Richter: Sea (1972)

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1973: Head Sculpture

Efrat Natan - Head Sculpture (1973)

Efrat Natan: Head Sculpture (1973)

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