The Murals Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall
^Y CPH IN THE _ R R» \ THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL HALL AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY THE MURALS IN THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL HALL Written by the Artist WILLIAM ANDREW JMACK AY and A. A. CANFIELD of the New York State De partment of Public Works Copyright, 1944 SCIENCE GUIDE 119 • MAN AND NATURE PUBLICATION l-t» 1 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY The Murals in the Theodore Roosevelt Me moida! Hal! AFRICA, 1910 cursed by his father and destined with ROOSEVELT'S EXPLORATIONS IN his son and all his descendants to perpetual slavery. In the center ap pear Ham and his wife and his brothers T,HE murals in the Roosevelt Me' ploration in Africa (opposite the t (Over the Doorway J Against a back modal Hall were painted by William entrance door of the Memorial), "The ground of a map of northern Africa Shem and Japheth at the parting of Andrew Mackay and are symbolical Building of the Panama Canal" (to the is depicted the dispersal of the sons of their ways. Beyond the lefthand edge representations of notable incidents in right as one enters the Memorial), and Noah—Shem, Ham, and Japheth— of this illustration, the mural displays the career of Theodore Roosevelt. "The Signing of the Treaty of Ports after the voyage of the Ark. Ham, snow-capped Mount Kenya, with The subjects are: "Roosevelt's Ex mouth" (to the left of the entrance). having shown disrespect to Noah, was a fringe of bamboo forest on its slopes. 2 3 fLeft center| Theodore Roosevelt stands above a Nubian lion and lioness, flanked by his gun bearers. In this group are several birds which were added to the collections of the American Museum and the National Museum in Washington. The trophies are being studied by a Girl and Boy Scout. Theodore Roosevelt was one of the organizers of the Boy Scouts. Science is represented by a man in academic gown. J |Bottom left} The shield combines symbolically Roosevelt's port of entry into Africa, Mombasa, indi cated by the device of a red lion on a white disc, as it appears on the flag of British East Africa, and his point of departure, Alexandria, symbolized by Egyptian figures. i ftRightJ In a tangle of gnarled trees, Surrounding the shield are natives hemmed in by rocks, an African on safari carrying weapons and elephant is captured by a group of impedimenta of an expedition. native hunters with shields and spears. At the bottom is the seal of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, in the interests of which much of Roosevelt's African exploration was undertaken. Supporting the seal is a typical African native chief of the Kikuyu tribe, clad in a lion skin and [ blue headdress. At the left of this chief is Kermit Roosevelt. f^orth Return Panel} The zebras, blended into an early morning African landscape, show the princi- pie of concealing coloration in nature. At the base of this return panel appear several natives of the Masai tribe, who have returned from the hunt. The woman wears a gay skirt and brass- ring necklace, and the hunters are dressed in leopard and gazelle skins, one with a monkey-skin headdress. |South Return PanelJ At the top, giraffes and ostriches blend into the landscape where they are usually found. Below upon a bent tree trunk crouches a leopard. At the base kneels a warrior with a taut bow and wearing two white ostrich plumes, evi dence of his having slain two lions in single combat. Above him are the huge signal or war drums used by the natives. The entire panel is overlaid with beautiful red hibiscus and other rich African foliage. 7 The group dominated by Father Time signifies the transfer of the tugboat Gatun, the first craft to pass the Canal from one ocean to the other. BUILDING THE PANAMA CANAL At the base of this panel the figures grouped f Over the DoorwayJ A seated The last-mentioned, somewhat modi about the shield of Panama Buddha (not illustrated here) symbo fied, is the coat of arms of the represent the early found lizes what Columbus hoped and Republic of Mexico at the present ers in the development of expected to find when he sailed time. Between these shields, ships this region. At the ex west across the Atlantic Ocean— in battle recall the strife of early treme left and right are India. Seated on the right is Queen settlers with pirates. men of the early races, the Isabella, and above her Christopher Below these shields is emblazoned Mayan and Aztec. The Columbus. On the left are an East the mariner's compass, and at the figures next to the shield Indian prince and a native. right is a Mayan holding a cere are a Spanish conquistador monial staff on which is perched the and an early pirate. The emblematic bird, the Quetzal. Be headdress of the Mayan IfLe/t centerJ The three shields dis neath this figure are two pirates, one priest is a crownlike struc play (from left to right) a Mayan scanning the horizon with a tele ture adorned with feathers. emblem on a blue field, a Toltec scope, the other having a hook in The Aztec warriors carry emblem (a carved stone called the place of an arm lost in combat. weapons: left, a spear with cross of Tlaloc, found in Toltec Next are five women in ancient flaming feather head and ruins) on a red field, and the Spanish costume who display various a huge chipped spear point; emblem of the Aztec nation at the products of the South American right, a sling and a bag of time of the Spanish Conquest—an continent for which the Panama stones with a typical Aztec eagle holding a snake in his beak. Canal provides export facilities. spiral design. 8 9 of the projected canal, Count de negro sprays the ground against the Lesseps in white, and France typified mosquito pest, responsible for the by the figure of a woman. yellow fever which had defeated the French in their heroic efforts to build the Canal. Laborers hold a steam drill and a crowbar. J {Immediately below} President Below is a model of the Gatun Theodore Roosevelt is seen discus- Locks. sing plans with Chief Engineer John F. Stevens. At the left an officer holds the flag of the Engineer I" fAt the bottom} Color sergeants Corps, United States Army. An display the flag of the militia of the officer of the Medical Corps, United District of Columbia and the Presi States Army, in white uniform, dential ensign with attendant ele holds a test tube, emblem of research ments of the Great Seal of the into the causes of pestilence. A United States. The figures of Freedom at the left and Liberty at the right support a shield with the inscription: "Work on Panama Canal started May 4, 1904, by President t fRight center| The three shields a bag of gold, and a native monkey. Theodore Roosevelt. The land on this side of the center panel are At the right a Mayan of high rank divided the world united. Com the armorial design of Balboa, the holds a ceremonial staff. Beneath pleted 1914." discoverer of the Pacific Ocean, these appears Sir Henry Morgan, that of his Spanish sovereign, and richly dressed in red, who raided the the insigne of Republican France at Spanish Main and eventually became the time when the Count de Governor of Jamaica. Here also is Lesseps initiated the enterprise of a wrecked and rusted French cutting a canal across the Isthmus. excavating machine, covered with Below the shields are Balboa with vines, remnants of which still exist the standard of Spain, and a pirate beside the Canal bank. Near by is with the model of a pirate ship, a French army officer holding plans 10 11 V |Left, or West, Return PanelJ {Right, or East, Return Panel} This shows the last act in the At the top is the Goddess of the great excavation, the meeting of River, crowned with orchids, the two enormous excavating pouring the dew from an ancient machines, facing each other in the water vessel, which she has final task of scooping up the gathered from the rainbow. remaining earth and rock of the Down it falls to become the cut. Over the map of the Canal Unknown River, discovered and Zone, the steam from the power explored by Theodore Roosevelt, shovels forms the outline of the and named for him Rio Teodoro. divided continents. Below the The discoverer is viewing the excavators is what the artist has river at its source, his native aptly termed "a typical American attendants with their propelling construction engineer" in a char' poles pushing aside the branches, acteristic pose. This is a portrait disclosing the stream. The of the New York State Superin- President's son, Kermit Roose tendent of Public Works, Colonel velt, is shown recording the Frederick Stuart Greene, under saga. whose direction the Roosevelt At the bottom are members of Memorial building was con' the Parecis tribe of Indians. structed. A warrior holds in his right At the bottom of this panel hand a richly decorative shield of is a typical Latin-American Canal the map of South America with laborer holding the coat of arms the arms of Portugal and of of the Canal Zone, surrounded by Brazil; in his left is an ancient the armorial designs of France, musical instrument. The war Spain, Scotland, and Portugal. riors are equipped with long At the left are two natives using bows and arrows, and one of the a loading iron, making prepara native women carries a basket tions for a blast, and at the right suspended by a band from her are other typical figures engaged head. in the building of the Canal. THE TREATY OF PORTSMOUTH SEPTEMBER 5, 1905 The immediate theme of this dominant figure at the top of the section is, of course, the termi- mural over the doorway. This is nation of the Russo-Japanese War Jenghiz Khan, flanked by two of through the mediation of President his sons, Juji and Jagatai. Jenghiz Roosevelt, but there is a deeper Khan, the greatest of Mongolian underlying idea brought out by conquerors, typifies a common the identity of treatment on enemy engaged (to the left) in either side of the center panel and battle with early Russians, and a balance in the design, the whole (to the right) with medieval brought to a focal point in the Japanese. fLeft centerf Russians killed in battle lie in a wheat field, mourned by relatives and attended by a Russian priest with a deacon and a Russian nurse. Near the doorway are the figures of Death, Famine, and Plague. At the base of this panel is the group gathered for the signing of the peace treaty. From left to right these figures are: Theodore Roosevelt, M. Takahira, C. Nabokoff, Count S. de Witte, J. Korostovetz, and Baron Komura. Count de Witte and Baron Komura are holding the olive branches of peace. The figure of Columbia with a sheathed sword draped with a band of mourning is behind Roosevelt. THE TREATY OF PORTSMOUTH SEPTEMBER 5, 1905 The immediate theme of this dominant figure at the top of the section is, of course, the termi- mural over the doorway. This is nation of the Russo-Japanese War Jenghiz Khan, flanked by two of through the mediation of President his sons, Juji and Jagatai. Jenghiz Roosevelt, but there is a deeper Khan, the greatest of Mongolian underlying idea brought out by conquerors, typifies a common the identity of treatment on enemy engaged (to the left) in either side of the center panel and battle with early Russians, and a balance in the design, the whole (to the right) with medieval brought to a focal point in the Japanese. {Left centerJ Russians killed in battle lie in a wheat field, mourned by relatives and attended by a Russian priest with a deacon and a Russian nurse. Near the doorway are the figures of Death, Famine, and Plague. At the base of this panel is the group gathered for the signing of the peace treaty. From left to right these figures are: Theodore Roosevelt, M. Takahira, C. NabokofF, Count S. de Witte, J. Korostovetz, and Baron Komura. Count de Witte and Baron Komura are holding the olive branches of peace. The figure of Columbia with a sheathed sword draped with a band of mourning is behind Roosevelt. fRight centerJ Here appears the Japanese Goddess of Mercy, Kwannon, her head encircled by a halo. The group of mourners is the counterpart of the Russian group opposite except for differ ences in racial types and cos tumes. A Shinto priest gazes upon the dead Japanese soldier, and the repeated figures of Death, Famine, and Plague em phasize that both nations face the same loss and ruin which follow war. At the base of this panel, two typical American girls represent Justice and Mercy intervening between a Japanese and a Russian soldier. At the left of the base in full ceremonial vestments is the Emperor of Japan. Behind him is a banner bearing his "Mon" or armorial device in crown is the Tsar, above his gold on blue. The rising sun head the two-headed eagle on banner of Japan flies above the gold ground, the emblem of figure of a Japanese infantryman, Imperialist Russia. The Mikado while the blue cross of St. and Tsar are offering their swords Andrew on a white field stands in token of peace between their above the Russian fighter. At nations, and this is repeated in the extreme right in coronation the open book of history which robes and wearing the imperial appears in the center. w the rt > 0 CO _G s +-> to 0 S 2 3 _*-> 2 •S tsfi 5 S 4> < OU 17 * r -3 a; e c 4-4 C CO 50 -G aj 0 > U CO -o X -3 .rt £ "8 S 4-j a> 4J C are "a> • »-