JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) The Missouri State Capitol has recently completed an effort to restore and conserve the building’s murals that provide visitors with snapshots of the state’s history.
The Joplin Globe reports that Neosho-born artist Thomas Hart Benton’s “A Social History of the State of Missouri” was a focus of the preservation project. Benton’s murals give visitors a chronological guide through the lives of Missouri residents, from fur trading and early farming to a political gathering.
Capitol officials hope to preserve Benton’s work for future generations.
Dana Rademan Miller is chair of the Missouri State Capitol Commission. Miller says the Legislature commissioned Benton’s murals in 1935 for $16,000. Benton traveled the state to find and sketch residents before featuring them on canvas. His artwork depicts 235 people.
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