43: DANIEL MACMORRIS (1893-1981) KC LIBRARY MURAL STUDY

Daniel MacMorris (1893-1981)
(1960)
The oil on canvas study from a series of four illustrates from left to right the iconic stagecoach approaching a riverboat lettered MISSOURI, John Brown and an African American stand behind allegorical figures of the Confederate South lowering that flag gazing downward near a derelict canon, legislators look forward and freed slaves travel, six Ionic columns of education, the state capitol and a locomotive appear at the start of the industrial Revolution.

Before he began working on the Kansas City Public Library's Missouri History murals, Daniel MacMorris painted a series of 8-inch by 30-inch canvases to serve as preliminary studies for what he would paint in monumental proportions on the walls of the downtown library's Missouri Valley Room. Each painting employs symbolism, allegory and historical figures to tell the region's story. This work, the second of four, is signed by Daniel MacMorris lower right and dated 1960. The finished mural would tell the story of the people and the culture of the Missouri Valley region from before statehood to the early 20th century.
Sight size measures 8.25 x 33 with a framed size of 11.25 x 36 inches.
Very good original untouched condition. There are no issues of major scratches, losses, repairs, in-painting or touch-up.
Provenance: Helen Culbertson Stubbs Snyder, wife of Judge Tom Stubbs and library committee member at the time of commission sought out Daniel MacMorris following the project and purchased these four studies on canvas.
$1,000 - $1,500