Artwork at the Missouri Capitol takes viewers through time | Mid-Missouri News

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri is rich in history.

From its abundance of caves, agriculture and manufacturing, to landmarks and attractions like Silver Dollar City, Lake of the Ozarks, and the St. Louis Arch, the state has its share of iconic places.

But in the Missouri Capitol, artwork takes viewers on a journey through time.

In the book, “The Art of the Missouri Capitol,” authors Bob Priddy and Jeffrey Ball write that after a fire destroyed Missouri’s Capitol in 1911, voters approved a bond issue to construct a new statehouse. The tax to pay for the bonds produced a $1 million surplus, leaving money to decorate the building, which is where the art comes in.

The authors say the artwork is considered one of the finest of any state Capitol in the United States.

About twice a week, tour guide Nazareth Dairian takes visitors on an adventure through Missouri’s Capitol.

“I take pride in how this building looks and also how I represent it, Dairian said.

Dairian sees visitors of all ages, from young to old. He shows them all the artwork through an hour-long tour.

One painting he likes to show visitors is a painting of the Eads Bridge in St. Louis. The painting is known as “The Artery of Trade” and was painted by Frank Nuderscher. Nuderscher painted in St. Louis for more than half a century, and the lunette changes as viewers walk by.

The Capitol has a total of five stories and is home to the Missouri General Assembly.

“There’s so much to see,” Dairian said. “There are over 120 pieces of art in this building.”

Dairian said he did his best to learn them all.

“I read Bob’s book,” Dairian said. “Bob Priddy, who wrote the definitive bible on this Capitol.”

Priddy is a historian and retired journalist.

“You spend 40 years in here and you become accustomed to the art and you begin to really realize how significant it is,” Priddy said.

The so-called “bible” Priddy co-authored with Ball debuted in 2011. Its full title is “The Art of the Missouri Capitol: History in Canvas, Bronze and Stone.”

“This was American art that spoke to Americans,” Priddy said.

Priddy said he has spent years reflecting on the majesty of the capital.

“The story of art is not just what’s on the painting or on the sculptures,” Priddy said. “The story is the people who made it.”

He mentioned artist Newell Wyeth, who was a prominent book and magazine illustrator in the mid-to-late 1800s and has two paintings on the second floor of the Capitol.

“They’re probably the second most valuable paintings in the building, other than the Benton Mural,” Priddy said.

The “Benton Mural” is located in the House Lounge. It was painted by Thomas Hart Benton.

“He makes you read the painting like you would a book, and that’s where his history of Missouri is told,” Priddy said.

Down the hall are some familiar faces in the Hall of Famous Missourians, like Annie White Baxter.

“She is the first woman to hold public office in Missouri,” Priddy said.

You will also find George Washington Carver, Walter Cronkite, actress Ginger Rogers, and Scott Joplin, who is dubbed the “King of Ragtime.”

Within the stained glass work, sculptures, tapestries and more paintings, bits of history are missing.

“The history that they showed was history as they understood history in the 1920s, so there are a lot of things that were not included. You won’t find women in very many places,” Priddy said.

Priddy said there is also not a lot of Black history.

“That’s something perhaps for future artwork to be done if they decide to add more art, and there are places to put it,” Priddy said.

Places to continue the history of Missouri, so children who tour the Capitol always have a place they can go until their journey ends.

“This building belongs to them, and it will be here to serve them from now until they are adults and beyond,” Dairian said.

Tours of the Missouri Capitol may be scheduled online.