Smathers Library, formerly known as Library East, stands on Union Road 1508 in Gainesville. Designed by William A. Edwards and opened in October 1926, it was the largest building on the University of Florida campus when it first opened. The building was renamed Smathers Library in 1991 in honor of former U.S. Senator George Smathers.
On the second floor, the Special Collections Grand Reading Room houses a mural by Hollis Holbrook titled "History of Learning in Florida." Created in 1953 using egg tempera over several layers of sanded gesso, the artwork covers over 600 square feet. The mural depicts education in Florida, including a scene of contact and trade in the lower left corner and a central figure with a tree of knowledge.
Other details in the mural include a self-portrait of Holbrook holding the first newspaper published in Florida, the East Florida Gazette, and a figure of former library director Stanley West. The mural also features a celebration of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, showing an African American man voting alongside a white man. In 2015, conservators treated the mural to remove layers of dirt, dust, and nicotine damage.
Researchers discovered a small dedication on a chalk tablet during the 2015 restoration, which refers to Holbrook's son who died of polio in the early 1950s. The conservation treatment ensures that this dedication remains visible in the Grand Reading Room.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by No Other
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.