William de Leftwich Dodge

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"The Death of Minnehaha" by William de Leftwich Dodge

William de Leftwich Dodge (1867–1935) was an American artist best known for his murals.

Dodge was born at Liberty, Virginia. He took first place in the examinations for the École des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1881, and also studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme and at the Académie Colarossi. He also studied in Munich.

Returning to the U.S. in 1889, he taught at the Art Students League of New York and at Cooper Union. In 1906 he designed the classical Villa Francesca at Setauket, Long Island for himself. Towards the end of his career he became interested in Mayan art. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Academy of Design.

[edit] Mural Work

Dodge's important mural work includes:

murals for the Richard Morris Hunt's Administration Building dome at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893
murals for the Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., circa 1895
History of Canada murals for the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, the subject of a landmark artists' rights lawsuit, 1903
murals for the Onondaga County Court House, Syracuse, New York, 1904
four lobby murals for the Astor Hotel depicting Ancient and Modern New York, 1904
zodiac ceiling mosaic and other work, at the Surrogate's Courthouse (aka Hall of Records), New York City, circa 1905
mural for the Algonquin Hotel, 1906
a number of New York hotels and theaters, including three murals and the color scheme for the Fulton Theatre/Helen Hayes Theatre, architects Herts & Tallant, 1911 (razed)
murals for the Panama Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, 1915
six murals for Buffalo City Hall, Buffalo, New York. Two large murals in the main entrance hall represent the city's role as a border city, while four murals at the end of hallways represent the city government's services as "Charity," "Protection," "Education," and "Construction." Completed 1931
ceiling murals of battle scenes, Governor's Reception Room, New York State Capitol, Albany, New York
three murals in the Great Reading Room, Seerley Hall at the University of Northern Iowa. The first is called In Memoriam, the second Education, and the third is a combination of three paintings called The Glory and Grandeur of lowa. The three sections of the third are known as Agriculture, The Council of Indians, and The Commonwealth.