National Park Service, Eastern Museum Laboratory, Albert Mcclure (1903-1986), Lee Roland Warthen (1893-1949)
The Dioramas of a Nation: National Park Service, Eastern Museum Laboratory & the Art of Public Engagement The story of the National Park Service’s (NPS) early foray into museum work, specifically through the efforts of the Eastern Museum Laboratory and artists like Albert Mcclure and Lee Roland Warthen, is a fascinating chapter in American art history—one often overshadowed by more traditional narratives. It speaks to a deliberate effort during the New Deal era to connect citizens with their national heritage, not through grand monuments alone, but through intimate, meticulously crafted dior…
The Subject Atlas
A chart of National Park Service, Eastern Museum Laboratory, Albert Mcclure (1903-1986), Lee Roland Warthen (1893-1949)'s corpus mapped not by date but by subject. Spokes are what they painted; rings are when; and the threads between stars reveal the patrons and places that secretly connect them.
Spokes — Subject
Each arm of the atlas gathers works by what they depict: portraits, sacred scenes, mythologies, and the scientific studies. Click a spoke to swing that cluster to the top.
Rings — Career Period
Distance from the center marks time. The innermost ring is the earliest period; the outermost, the final years. Style matures as you move outward.
Threads — Shared Context
Coloured lines link works bound by the same patron, commission, or theme. Trace a context to watch related clusters light up across subjects.
