With the help of friends, I was recently able to solve a mystery that I first stumbled across in 2009 related to a photograph taken in 1937. I first stumbled across it whole I was diving into the archives of the Joy Postle Collection to source images for an article to be published in Reflections magazine. Thanks to Denise Hall, the collection at UCF is quite extensive and includes artwork, photographs and even the artists diary she kept during the 1930s. The photo that intrigues me so much was of a group of dignified people gathered in front of a large painting of a Seminole Indian. On the back in pen is written:
1937
W.P.A. Art Project
Trip to U. of F. Gainesville
Joy P. Don Emory
M. Runyon in Center
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Special Collections & University Archives Libraries University of Central Florida |
I recently returned to the archives while researching Joy Postle's Casa Iberia mural on the Rollins College campus and was reminded that I had never figured out the location of the image, who painted the beautiful artwork, or who the rest of the people in the photo were. So I reached out Flo Turcotte at the Archives at UF and she enlisted the help of fellow archivist Sarah Coates. It was she who discovered the location of the image:
"Found it! It was over the fireplace in the Bryan Lounge that was in the Florida Union, now Dauer Hall. I have no idea if this painting is still there, nor do I know what the old Bryan Lounge was turned into once the building was no longer the Florida Union.
She also sent links showing the space with the painting:
To find out if the painting was still hanging on campus, I turned to Pam Marlin, an Instagram contact who works at UF and has done incredible then and now photo work on campus; explore her site here. Here was her response to my inquiries about the paintings whereabouts:
"I don’t believe the painting is still hanging in the building. I’ve been to Dauer Hall many times over the years, mostly for events at the Keene Faculty Center (created when Dauer Hall was renovated in the 1990s). The room with the fireplace and painting may have been part of today's faculty center, however, this particular area has been subdivided. It is now configured into multiple rooms that house the Classics Department (with the Religion Department upstairs).
I walked over to Dauer today and captured a photo of the SE corner of the building where I think the original fireplace and painting were (see attached). Visible in the photo is an exterior view of the large bay window (seen in the old interior photos) and exterior chimney stacks (suggesting a fireplace). I also walked into the Classics Department area specifically looking for the bay window and the fireplace, but the space is now divided into many rooms, some wood-paneled, with no fireplace or a view of the large bay window. My guess is that the fireplace was either covered or removed during renovation, and possibly the painting along with it. The beautiful interior arches have been removed as well."
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| Courtesy Pam Marlin |
Pam then went inside Dauer Hall and reported:
"I walked over to Classics again and talked briefly with Robert Wagman, former Classics department chair (2009). His office is located along the same wall as the fireplace (between the fireplace and the bay window) and it has the original dark wood paneling. He told me that there is a wall over the fireplace, and likely the mural as well. He took me to the room where it was located and tapped on the hollow wall. He mentioned that when he was chair he encouraged them to open the wall, which they did not. I have attached a photo (it is the back wall)."
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| Courtesy Pam Marlin |
As disappointed as I was that the painting is no longer viewable on campus, I was thrilled when both Pam and Sarah discovered the name of the artist who painted it: Fred Madden. Madden both attended and taught at UF. He painted the mural in 1936, the year before the photograph was taken. I found an article with photos of both the mural and a photo of the artist, and that allowed me to identify him in the group photo, standing front and center, just left of Joy Postle.
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| From the Miami News, Oct. 1945 |
Madden, apparently an accomplished muralist like Postle, taught art at Camp Roosevelt, as did Postle, so it is likely they knew each other. Sorting out the other folks in the photo is a bit of challenge. Artist Manny Runyon, mentioned in the inscription on the back, appears to be the bearded fellow near the center of the image. O. C. R. Stageberg, UF professor of art and architecture could be the be to the right of Runyon, but it difficult to be sure. It's also possible that Eve Alsman Fuller, an important figure at Camp Roosevelt, and an acquaintance of Postle, is one of the women on the left. Other possible people in attendance include Warren Doolittle, Van H. Ferguson, and William F. Lockwood. That aspect of the mystery still remains unsolved!
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