Norris Dam

Artist Paul Starnett Sample (1896 - 1974)

Date1935

MediumOil on linen

Dimensions32 x 44 in. (81.3 x 111.8 cm)

ClassificationsOil Painting

Credit LineJohn Butler Talcott Fund

Terms

Object number1943.09

DescriptionNorris Dam, created by more than two thousand workers as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority system of dams, represented a vast undertaking made possible by the Roosevelt administration. The painting graphically records the transformation of a quiet rural hamlet by the construction of the massive edifice. Built to prevent the flooding, which had plagued the region for years, the dam was highly controversial at the time. "Norris Dam" appeared in "Fortune" and led to the artist's being selected for a series of related commissions.

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