Dean Cornwell's artistic vision of John Sevier

   In my book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, I examine how historians, storytellers, aging Revolutionary War veterans, and Sevier descendants remembered John Sevier and his accomplishments. Artists are another group mentioned in my book. Charles Willson Peale's enduring portrait of John Sevier, for example, served as inspiration for the cover of my book and showed how an artist's patriotic vision helped bring Sevier's reputation as "Tennessee's First Hero" into visual focus.

   Illustrator Dean Cornwell also helped shape the public memory of Tennessee's early history and John Sevier's role in it. A prolific artist of the early twentieth century, Cornwell illustrated several works for a wide variety of magazines and advertisers and painted more than twenty murals for various public institutions. In the process, Cornwell became one of the nation's most popular and famous muralists.

   In Tennessee, Cornwell painted several extraordinary murals during the Great Depression. In 1937 Cornwell painted an Art Deco style mural for the Davidson County Courthouse which one scholar described as one of the "most important Public Works of Art projects in Tennessee." For that work, Cornwell chose a scheme of four allegorical figures in heroic poses to represent themes of Agriculture, Industry, Commerce, and Statesmanship -- a consistent artistic theme that carried over into two of his later works located within the John Sevier State Office Building in downtown Nashville.

In this allegorical depiction of early Tennessee history, John Sevier is the central figure in Dean Cornwell's colorful mural, The Discovery of Tennessee. Author Photo.


   In 1941, Cornwell painted The Discovery of Tennessee and The Development of Tennessee in the grand entrance to this New Deal era structure. The murals, located on opposing walls of the building's grand entrance, depict two distinct phases of Tennessee history. On one mural Cornwell's artistic vision of early Tennessee history surrounds John Sevier dressed in full Revolutionary War uniform and flanked by a patriotic thirteen-star American flag. Cornwell positioned Andrew Jackson at the center of the mural located on the opposite wall surrounded by similar depictions of Tennessee history from the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

   Known for his extensive research into the history and geography of his subjects, Cornwell took great pains to present his artistic vision of Tennessee's past as historically accurate as possible. The detail found in Cornwell's artwork is striking, right down to the stitches in the clothing painted on the walls of this vast mural. Cornwell's work evokes feelings of power and nostalgia for a patriotic past, something America needed in this particular time of economic uncertainty.

One half of Dean Cornwell's mural located in the lobby of the John Sevier State Office Building in Nashville, Tennessee. On the left, Cornwell poses for a photograph with his artistic vision of Andrew Jackson and Tennessee History in this image from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, Record Group 82, Department of Conservation Photograph Collection.


   The fact that these two murals face one another seems somewhat ironic considering the personal animosity that existed between Sevier and Jackson. Yet upon reflection, I think Cornwell's positioning of these historic icons accurately portrayed public sentiment toward these two towering figures of the "Volunteer State." The writer E. E. Miller once said of Tennesseans, "We have had no real State hero since the pioneer days. The list began with John Sevier and ended with Andrew Jackson." I think Cornwell would likely agree with Miller's statement and perhaps sought some sort of artistic validation for Miller's words in the creation of this historic mural.

   The John Sevier State Office Building stands as a historic reminder of the New Deal era architecture that brought stability to a chaotic world mired in a Great Depression. Sadly, the architectural legacy left behind by this building, and the mural within it, have been long forgotten by those who prefer the modern efficiencies of the twenty-first century workplace. Those of us who appreciate Tennessee's historic buildings, on the other hand, certainly hope and pray that this building, and others like it, survive society's inevitable move toward modernity.




Gordon Belt is an information professional, archives advocate, public historian, and author of The History Press book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero, which examines the life of Tennessee's first governor, John Sevier, through the lens of history and memory. On The Posterity Project, Gordon offers reflections on archives, public history, and memory from his home state of Tennessee.




SELECTED SOURCES:


"A century of progress: twentieth century painting in Tennessee." Tennessee Historical Quarterly, Spring 2002, Volume LXI, Number 1. pp. 25-26.

Walt Reed. The Illustrator in America, 1880-1980: A Century of Illustration. New York: Published for the Society of Illustrators by Madison Square Press, 1984, p. 119.

"Dean Cornwell." Retrieved July 12, 2014, from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.

"Dean Cornwell: American Imagist." Retrieved July 8, 2014, from the National Museum of American Illustration.

Gentleman, scholar, mentor, hero, and friend. My personal tribute to John Seigenthaler...

   I have been blessed to have had many great bosses throughout my career, but without question, one of the most inspiring leaders I've ever followed was my former boss, mentor and friend, John Seigenthaler.

   I worked for John Seigenthaler as the Library Manager for the First Amendment Center for nine years before moving on to my current position as Director of Public Services for the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Moving on wasn't easy. I loved my job, and I loved working for Mr. Seigenthaler. Serving John Seigenthaler at the First Amendment Center Library was one of the greatest honors of my professional life.

   John Seigenthaler died on Friday at the age of 86. He lived a full life of purpose and consequence. As a champion of Civil Rights he showed bravery in the face of hate and fear in his defense of the Freedom Riders and became a fierce advocate for diversity in the newsroom. As editor of The Tennessean and USA TODAY he wrote eloquently in defense of journalistic integrity and the free flow of ideas. John Seigenthaler valued truth and accuracy in reporting, and he guarded the cause of free speech and freedom of the press like a sentinel. Throughout his life and as founder of the First Amendment Center he was an unwavering defender of the 45 words of the First Amendment for everyone, not just the privileged few.

   John Seigenthaler had a commanding presence, yet was humble, approachable and friendly. He treated everyone with whom he had contact as equals, and still, when you met John Seigenthaler you knew you were in the presence of greatness. Mr. Seigenthaler will be missed by all who knew him, including me, a young researcher with a passion for history who he frequently sought out as an "expert" whenever he needed to find some obscure fact, quote or statistic. I cherished each and every opportunity to serve him during my days at the First Amendment Center because I knew I was serving the greater good of freedom through his work.

In April 2012, John Seigenthaler invited us to the set of Nashville Public Television's "A Word on Words" for an interview about our first book, Onward Southern Soldiers: Religion and the Army of Tennessee in the Civil War.




   John Seigenthaler was incredibly generous with his time and had a sincere affection for those who he called a friend. I'll share two moments of reflection as examples of his generous spirit. In 2003, Mr. Seigenthaler delivered the commencement address to my graduating class at MTSU. During his speech, he encouraged us graduates to embrace open mindedness and the diversity of our culture even in the most challenging of times. Following his inspiring words, as I walked the aisle to pick up my graduate degree, he greeted me with an embrace, and proudly shook my hand as if he had known me forever, even though I had only known him for a few short months. A few years later, I had the privilege of introducing him as the keynote speaker during the Society of Tennessee Archivists annual meeting in 2011. He generously shared his life story with our group, and thanked all of us archivists for the work that we do to help preserve the rich history of our collective past. I think he enjoyed our company as much as we enjoyed his, and I remain forever grateful for the time he took to share his life story with us.

   One of the last conversations I had with Mr. Seigenthaler was on April 11th, exactly three months prior to the day of his death. I stopped by the First Amendment Center for a visit, and I had the opportunity to chat with him about our latest book, John Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero. Mr. Seigenthaler had a keen passion for Tennessee history, something we both shared, so it was such a pleasure to get to talk to him about "Tennessee's First Hero." In 2004, he published a biography of James K. Polk, and was actively researching the life of suffragist Alice Paul for another book project. Most recently, he took on the task of editing the Encyclopedia of Nashville, and was excited to talk to me about his research into the life of former Nashville Mayor Hilary House for a planned entry in the Encyclopedia.

   A few years earlier, my wife and I had the great honor to be interviewed by Mr. Seigenthaler for his television program, "A Word on Words," shortly after the publication of our first book, Onward Southern Soldiers. During our informal chat in April, Mr. Seigenthaler and I talked about scheduling a return trip to the Nashville Public Television studios to record another interview to help spread the word about our latest book about John Sevier, but my conversation with him in his office -- just the two of us -- I wouldn't trade those moments for any camera time in the world.

   I will cherish my memories of John Seigenthaler, and I pray that his family and many friends find solace in the fact that his life touched so many people in a positive way. He was a gentleman, scholar, mentor, hero, and friend to so many people, including me. I will miss him deeply. Rest in peace, my dear friend.