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Title
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Thomas Hart Benton Mural
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Description
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Postcard of the Achelous and Hercules mural by Thomas Hart Benton, once on display in the Harzfeld's Department Store in downtown Kansas City.
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Object Type
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Postcard
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Title
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Achelous and Hercules
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Description
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Unframed color print reproduction (44 in. x 14 in.) of Thomas Hart Benton's "Achelous and Hercules" mural. The original 24-foot mural was done in tempura and oil on canvas in 1947. It was purchased in the late 1940s for $15,000 by Harzfeld's Department Store at Petticoat Lane and Main (1101 Main) in Kansas City. After the store closed in 1984, the mural was donated to the Smithsonian. It depicts Achelous, the Greek god of rivers in the form of an angry bull during flood season fighting with Hercules who ultimately defeats him by tearing off one of his horns, which became nature's cornucopia, or horn of plenty.
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Object Type
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Archival Material
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Title
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Hidden Traces of Benton At Work Emerge At Last
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Description
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An article discussing pencil sketches by Thomas Hart Benton that are up for auction by Dirk Soulis Auctions in Lone Jack, Missouri. Items to be auctioned are a dozen previously unknown preliminary sketches of the mural "Achelous and Hercules" that used to be displayed in the Harzfeld's department store from 1949 until the store closed in 1984. It is now displayed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.
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Date
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2010-12-03
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Object Type
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Newspaper Article
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Title
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Reproduction of Thomas Hart Benton Mural Installed at Benton Home
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Description
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A one-half scale reproduction of the mural painted by Thomas Hart Benton for the Harzfeld's Department Store is ''now on permanent exhibit at the Benton home [3616 Belleview].'' The original mural was 24 feet by 7 feet and hung above the elevators in the store. It is now owned by the Smithsonian Institution.
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Date
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2005-10
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Object Type
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Newsletter Article
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Title
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Achelous and Hercules
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Description
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Photograph of the 1947 Thomas Hart Benton mural Achelous and Hercules. The painting was once on display in Harzfeld's department store, but is now in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C. A reproduction of the painting made from this photograph is on display in Kirk Hall in the Central Library at 14 W. 10th Street.
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Object Type
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Artwork
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Title
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Interview with Inge Silverman
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Description
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Interview with Inge Silverman about her life and experience working at Harzfeld's department store. She recounts the story of her and her family's immigration from Germany in 1936, escaping antisemitism ahead of World War II, and joining other family; her mother being hired at Harzfeld's, and later working for Cricket West. She discusses going to work at Harzfeld's herself as a teenager, working in sales and modeling clothes for customers, owner Siegmund Harzfeld's reputation for generosity and kindness with his employees, and later working for City National Bank and Beth Shalom Synagogue. She describes moving to Dallas in 1960, returning to Kansas City in 1970, and finding the retail landscape different and less high end due to market changes; and discusses the change from full service sales model to customers shopping on their own, noting what modern stores still provide additional service. She also recalls her mother's friendship with painter Thomas Hart Benton and his wife Rita.
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Date
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2011-01-05
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Object Type
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Video Recording
