NYC’s miraculously saved ‘Alice in Wonderland’ hospital mural goes on public display for first time

Article excerpt

A rare Depression-era mural depicting Alice in Wonderland, the only surviving federal art project created for a children's hospital ward during the New Deal, has been rescued and is going on public display for the first time. The mural, which nearly vanished, represents a singular artifact of 1930s government arts patronage, a moment when the federal government funded artists to brighten hospital spaces for sick children. Its preservation and exhibition mark a small but significant recovery of American cultural history that had been sitting in relative obscurity.