Lee Lawrie's Prairie Deco: History in Stone at the Nebraska State Capitol, by Gregory Paul Harm, M.A. Copyright 2008, all rights reserved. Take a peek inside the book and get ready to learn about a forgotten sculptural master, and his largest work, and why is is so relevant today.
Front Cover Flap, About Lawrie
Table of contents for the book, self-explanatory
Introduction, how I learned about this amazing topic.
Lawrie's Wisdom from the Clouds, or something like that. This flashes on the opening credits of 30 Rock on NBC, headquartered in this building.
These designs also flash during the opening credits.
This image flashes both at the opening credits of Saturday Night Live in addition to 30 Rock. I lived in Nebraska for 38 years, and never knew that the sculptor of the Sower was the same artist that created this work.
A picture of the Nebraska Capitol, at one of Goodhue's churches. He is buried in it. It's in Harlem, at 155th and Broadway, New York City, carved by Lawrie.
Eduardo "Eddie" Ardolino, the stone carver who carved Lawrie's designs. Lawrie would make the models in Harlem at his studios, in plaster, and ship them to Nebraska where Ardolino & his crews would enlarge them and carve them in place.
Archiitectural Influences on the Nebraska Capitol.
Evolution from classic to Art Deco.
The buffalo, as it would have appeared to the Indian, in his dreams.
A fist sized medallion on the North Door Bronze grills.
Doors to the Senate Chamber, The color has been saturated, but must have looked like this 75 years ago when the building was new.
Napoleon, as in the Napoleonic Code. Basis of most law in the Louisiana Purchase.
Charlemagne.
Lawrie and crew at work in NYC creating the Sower in plaster, before casting in him in bronze, tons of it.
Sower getting erected.
R.V.Smutny's negatives of Lawrie's Majesty of the Law series of 5X9 foot panels for the bas-relief sculptures.
Other examples of Lawrie's trademark Bronze Door Grills, in Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
Rendering in watercolor, showing Buffalo at the top of the four corners of the tower, proposed and since forgotten, from Bruce Richard's personal collection.
Picture of the author, enjoying a moment on a friend's front porch.
Rear Cover. Of course you'll have to buy the book to get the big picture and learn the rest of the story. Ready? Click here. http://tinyurl.com/PrairieDeco
