What Artwork is on Display in the Missouri Valley Room?
The Missouri Valley room has sculptures, framed maps and artwork, and a commemorative plate adorning its walls and shelves. The list below provides a short description of each item in order, starting at the front desk and moving clockwise around the room.
National Agricultural Exposition poster (behind service desk)
Color lithograph advertising the National Agricultural Exposition held in Kansas City in 1887. Includes Exposition Hall at 13th & Kansas, agricultural equipment and produce, and scantily clad beauties. Produced by Krebs Lithographic Company of Cincinnati, OH.
Sculpture of Ilus Davis (window alcove) Scale replica of the original at 12th & Oak by Bruce Wolfe. Portrays a casually posed Ilus Davis (1917-1996), 48th mayor of Kansas City (1963-1971).
Map of Westport (west wall) 1855 map of Westport created by city engineer Charles Spaulding. Owned and restored by the Daughters of Westport.
Oil paintings (by office/conference room doors)
Eighth Street, Kansas City by Otto Moilan; Missouri Avenue, Kansas City by Otto Moilan
Both painted as part of the WPA artists’ program in the 1930s.
Busts on microfilm cabinet
Harry Truman (acquired from the Kansas City Club) Thomas Hart Benton (artist, not senator) by Alfred Coe
We Proceeded On (atop map cabinet)
Scale replica of mural by Eugene Daub in the Montana State Capitol. Figures include Sacajawea and her infant, William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, York (Clark’s slave) and Seaman (Lewis’ Newfoundland).
A Map of Lewis and Clark’s Track across the Western Portion of North America (atop south shelves)
Undated facsimile of map copied by Samuel Lewis from William Clark’s original drawing.
Ceramic commemorative plate (atop south shelves)
Ceramic plate commemorating the Library’s second purpose-built location opened in 1897 at 9th and Locust. Created by local artist Irma Starr under a commission by long-time library advocate John Herbst and presented to the Library in 2015.
Etching of Main Library (atop south shelves)
Undated rendering of the former Main Library and Board of Education building at 311 E. Oak St by M. Brenton.
Panoramic photo of downtown Kansas City in 1924 (atop south shelves)
Taken looking west from 9th and Main. Photographer is not noted.
Bust of John Barber White (northeast corner)
Undated bust by Jorgen Dreyer. White (1847-1923) was president of the Kansas City Historical Society and the Missouri Land and Lumber Co. White’s extensive personal collection of genealogy material formed the basis of the MVSC genealogy holdings.
Atlas pages (east wall near emergency exit)
Pages showing railyards from the 1907 Tuttle and Pike atlas of Kansas City.
Bas-relief of August Meyer (alcove in east wall)
Scale replica of original bronze memorial by Daniel Chester French at 10th and Paseo of August Meyer (1851-1905), smelting/refining baron, first president of the Board of Parks and Recreation and passionate advocate of the boulevard system.
Photo portrait of William Stone Woods (east wall near double doors)
Undated, seated portrait of William Stone Woods (1840-1917), president of the National Bank of Commerce, benefactor of William Woods College, and mentor to William T. Kemper. Signature of "Strauss" in bottom right corner may be that of Benjamin Strauss of Strauss-Peyton Studios.