During their August meeting, National Life’s Board of Directors visited the new home of the Paul Sample mural, Tribute To Vermont.
The huge mural – it is 50 feet long and 8 feet high – provides a panoramic view of Vermont life, from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th.
The mural was painted especially for National Life by Sample to anchor the lobby of the company’s seventh home office. Deane C. Davis, then the president of National Life, wanted to do something grand and outsized to celebrate Vermont.
Davis turned to Sample, one of the nation’s top painters at the time and Dartmouth’s artist-in-residence. Perhaps not by coincidence Mr. Sample had a deep National Life connection: His father-in-law was Fred Howland, who served as president of National Life from 1916 to 1937.
When the mural was dedicated in March of 1961, Davis said, “Our Green Mountain State background is in fact our badge of identity.”
Several years ago National Life realized the mural was deteriorating; colors were fading, it was under fluorescent lights in a lobby that opened up to the outdoors and all of the grime, salt and sand that come through the door.
The company began to search for a proper home for the mural – one where it could be conserved and preserved forever – a climate controlled environment with proper lighting.
Eventually it became clear that the perfect home for this tribute to Vermont was at the Vermont Historical Society.
National Life financed the restoration of the mural as well as the construction of a special gallery to house it.
Last Friday night our directors toured the gallery – and were treated to a lecture on the mural by National Life corporate historian Brian Lindner.