Embedded Files
The Federal Arts Project in Connecticut
The Federal Arts Project in Connecticut
Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration in 1935 to put Americans back to work. The federal government hired hundreds of artists and paid them an hourly wage to create art that was "pleasing to the eye and that could inspire faith in democracy." (1) In Connecticut, the headquarters were in New Haven and the program employed over 150 artists in Connecticut and they created nearly 5,000 pieces of artwork around Connecticut. From 1935 to 1941, the city of Norwalk had over 50 murals produced by local artists for its public schools, libraries, and post offices. Alexander Rummler of Norwalk had the largest projects of its kind in the state with murals covering over 1,500 square feet of canvas consisting of sixteen major panels and eight smaller ones. The paintings were restored in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to the efforts of Ralph Bloom, the city historian, the City of Norwalk, the Norwalk Transit District, and numerous volunteers.
Fairfield County
Fairfield County
Town Hall, Darien (1)
Town Hall, Darien (1)
2 Renshaw Road, Darien
These murals were all done by local artist Arthur Gibson Hull in 1934 as part of the Public Works Art Project. The project was succeeded by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. The murals pictured here are in the auditorium of the Town Hall which was once the town's high school.
The scenes from Hull's artwork include the Tory raid of the Middlesex Parish Meeting House in 1781, during the height of the Revolutionary War, pastoral scenes of Native American village life, scenes of early commerce such as well-dressed merchants reviewing documents as a pair of yoked oxen is readied to drag cargo off a boat, and others.
Town Hall, Darien (2)
Town Hall, Darien (2)
2 Renshaw Road, Darien
These murals were all done by local artist Robert Pallesen, co-founder of the Darien Guild of the Seven Arts, in 1934 as part of the Public Works Art Project. The project was succeeded by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. The murals pictured here are in the lobby area of the Town Hall which was once the town's high school.
The scenes from Pallesen's work include The Kings Highway in Colonial Days from Stamford to Norwalk, The Kings Highway Main Overland Route Between Boston and New York in the Eighteenth Century, The Shoreline of Darien, and other maps.
Greenwich Public Library (3)
Greenwich Public Library (3)
101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich
Title: "The Life and Times of General Israel Putnam"
Artist: James Daugherty
Date Completed: 1935
Photo Credits: Mary Barresi, Welcome Desk
Note: The mural is currently out of commission as the library has gone through a recent renovation and they have not hung it up yet.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Winnipauk School"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
This was a private commission by Mrs. Michael Ratchford of the Victorian stone school building that was removed for the construction of the Merritt Parkway.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Purchase of Norwalk"
Artist: Harry Townsend
Date Completed: 1940
Measuring 9 feet high and 18 feet long, this is the largest canvas in the collection. The scene portrays Roger Ludlow's purchase of Norwalk from Chief Mahackemo. The canvas was commissioned for the Common Council Chamber in the form City Hall, now the Norwalk museum.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Roughing It"
Artist: Justin Gruelle
Date Completed: 1936
This canvas depicts a scene from Mark Twain's novel, Roughing It. In the book, Twain recounts his trip out west with his brother who had been appointed Secretary of the Nevada Territory.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Innocents Abroad"
Artist: Justin Gruelle
Date Completed: 1936
This canvas depicts a scene from Mark Twain's novel, The Innocents Abroad. In the book, Twain recounts his humorous adventures aboard the Quaker City as it traveled through Europe and the Middle East.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Alisande and Sir Boss"
Artist: Justin Gruelle
Date Completed: 1936
This mural portrays a scene from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court when the heroine pours water into Sir Boss's armor to cool him.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Merlin"
Artist: Justin Gruelle
Date Completed: 1936
This mural portrays a scene from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court where we see the wizard, Merlin, an enemy of the story's hero Sir Boss, watching as knights on bicycles walk past.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Norwalk High School"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
The painting of Norwalk's first high school was sponsored by the graduating class of 1924 and presented at the dedication of the new East Avenue High School in December 1937.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Shucking Oysters"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
Oysters have been an important product for Norwalk since colonial times. This mural depicts the removal of oysters from their shells in the oyster house.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Roadside Stand"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1940
Rummler based this scene on Scribner's Farm Stand which was located in nearby Wilton. On the left side of the mural, there are two local religious leaders engaged in a conversation, Reverend Ernest F. MacGregor of the First Congregational Church and Monsignor Thomas J. Finn from Saint Mary Roman Catholic Church.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Trotting Races"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1936
The trotting races was one of the most popular events held at the Danbury Fair each year. The artist loved horses and so he emphasized the horses' movement by capturing them coming around the curve in the track.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Rummler Self Portrait"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1941
Alexander J. Rummler and his wife and children moved to South Norwalk in 1907 and was chosen to represent Connecticut in the Philadelphia Exposition of 1926 where his painting won first place. He was 69 years old when the WPA put him to work creating murals for the cafeteria of the new Norwalk High School. From 1936 to 1941, Rummler completed 16 major murals and eight smaller panels depicting life in Norwalk and surrounding communities. This painting shows Rummler at work in his studio as he is working on the mural Mapping for Starfish. This self portrait is the centerpiece of the City Hall Atrium.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Apple Harvest"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
This painting depicts the apple harvest on the Hurlbutt family's 54-acre fruit farm in nearby Wilton. Painted on the right side of the canvas are Harry Hurlbutt, his brother Everett Sr. and his son kneeling in the light shirt named Everett Jr.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Danbury Fair"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1936
Visitors from all over Connecticut and surrounding areas came to Danbury each October from 1869 to 1981 to attend the annual agricultural fair. As depicted in the painting, the fair included animal exhibits, farmers's products, food booths, rides, and carnival entertainment. This is one of the larger murals measuring 15.5 feet wide and 6.5 feet high.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Circus Act"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1936
This scene of one of the Danbury Fair's attractions was originally an over-door panel that connected Danbury Fair to Trotting Races.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Farm Scene"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1936
This scene of a farm landscape was originally an over-door panel that connected Apple Harvest to Roadside Stand.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Oyster Houses"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
Oysters have been an important production for Norwalk since colonial times. The site along Norwalk Harbor looks very similar today with the Blue Oyster Company on the left. On the right is the Radel Oyster Company building was torn down in the 1980s.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Washing Oysters"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
Oysters are washed in large metal tanks filled with water for several minutes at a time. The oysters are then graded according to size.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Mopping for Starfish"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
This picture depicts the Sara L, one of the oldest and busiest oyster boats on the Norwalk waters in the 1930s. The starfish feed on the young oysters and therefore they must mop over the underwater beds to remove them. This practice is still used today.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Shell Pile for Planting"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
This picture depicts a horse-drawn cart pulling up to a pile of oyster shells. These shells were used in town and also recycled back into the water to form the basis of new growth. It can take three years to bring a crop of oysters to the market.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Dredging for Oysters"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1937
This picture depicts workers aboard an oyster boat pulling up a harvest with a red-netted dredge. A crew would dredge five hundred bushels of oysters before returning to shore. Mr. Rummler thought that Captain Pettie was the "typical oysterman type" so he painted him twice in the mural, once in yellow and once in black.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Knudsen School"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1939
This picture of Knudsen School was commissioned by the Columbus School Parent Teacher Organization in 1939. Knudsen and Concord Schools were both torn down and replaced by the Columbus School in 1939.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Concord School"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1939
This picture of Concord School was commissioned by the Columbus School Parent Teacher Organization in 1939. Knudsen and Concord Schools were both torn down and replaced by the Columbus School in 1939.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Dairy Farm - Grade Herd"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1936
This picture is a collection of the three farms in Norwalk. The one on the far left is the scene from Marvin Farm on Beach Road, the center area represents the Devine Farm on Strawberry Hill Avenue, and the one on the right represents the dairy barns of the Keeler Farm at the intersection of Strawberry Hill Avenue and Tierney Street. The mural measures 22' 3'' wide and 6' 3'' high.
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
City Hall, Norwalk (4)
125 East Avenue, Norwalk
Title: "Calf Pasture Beach"
Artist: Alexander J. Rummler
Date Completed: 1936
This picture is a collection of the three farms in Norwalk. The one on the far left is the scene from Marvin Farm on Beach Road, the center area represents the Devine Farm on Strawberry Hill Avenue, and the one on the right represents the dairy barns of the Keeler Farm at the intersection of Strawberry Hill Avenue and Tierney Street. The mural measures 22' 7'' wide and 6' 3'' high.
Rowayton Library (5)
Rowayton Library (5)
33 Highland Avenue, Rowayton
Title: "Packet Day at the Five Mile River"
Artist: George Avison
The scene takes place behind what is today the Rowayton Market and it illustrates the importance of the shipping industry during the mid 19th century in Connecticut.
New Haven County
New Haven County
Public Library, Milford (6)
Public Library, Milford (6)
57 New Haven Avenue, Milford
Title: "We Shall Pass This Way But Once"
Artist: Frank Rutkoski
Date Completed: 1940
This WPA mural greeted students at Milford's Central Grammar School on West River Street. Before the school was demolished in 1986, William Meddick, Executive Director of the Milford Arts Center, and Frank Vespi, Board of Education Arts Coordinator, rescued a large portion of the original mural. The full mural featured both boys and girls engaged in school activities outside. The small section that was recovered and restored features the boys as well as two Milford buildings - Plymouth Church (demolished in the 1950s) and the Sanford-Bristol House from 1789.
Sources:
Sources:
Burton, Nancy. “Darien's Historic Murals.” Darien, CT Patch, October 11, 2009. https://patch.com/connecticut/darien/dariens-historic-murals.
(1) “WPA Art Inventory.” Connecticut State Library. Accessed August 8, 2021. https://ctstatelibrary.org/wpa-art-inventory/.
All descriptions of the murals in Norwalk come from the following source: Norwalk's Collection of WPA Era Art (Works Progress Administration) Commissioned for Public Buildings, 1935-1941. Norwalk, CT: Norwalk Transit District, 2001.
"Still Working For America.” Living New Deal, July 1, 2019. https://livingnewdeal.org/.
Page updated
Report abuse