Selection from Birds and Animals of the United States

Winthrop Duthie Turney, Selection from Birds and Animals of the United States, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.28.75
Copied Winthrop Duthie Turney, Selection from Birds and Animals of the United States, 1934, oil on canvas, 32 x 36 1⁄8 in. (81.3 x 91.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.28.75

Artwork Details

Title
Selection from Birds and Animals of the United States
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
32 x 36 1⁄8 in. (81.3 x 91.6 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from the General Services Administration
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York City
  • Animal — bird — stork
  • Animal — reptile — alligator
  • Animal — skunk
  • Fantasy — animal
  • Animal — bear
  • Landscape — tree
Object Number
1974.28.75
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1974.28.75

Artwork Description

Artist Winthrop Turney created this painting as a fantasy gathering of American wildlife visually spanning his nation from coast to coast. The artist hoped that this painting of animals grouped around a lavender-tinted tree would become a large mural to adorn a school. The mural would show urban schoolchildren American animals from a variety of environments. Denizens of the eastern coast and swamps inhabit the foreground: the Florida alligator basks below a flying American pelican and a tern; an anhinga spreads its wings to dry; and an egret stands in the lower right corner. The woodland animals are further back: a gray squirrel perches on a tree branch while the striped skunk, groundhog, black bear, wolverine, American porcupine, and red fox stand on the middle ground. In the background are creatures native to the western plains and mountains: the coyote, turkey vulture, pronghorn antelope, mountain lion, and mountain goat. Like the children for whom he painted, Turney lived in New York. He probably knew the gray squirrels of Central Park better than the other animals in the picture, which he saw only in pictures and New York-area zoos.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Related Books

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1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.