Garrison Frieze

This terra cotta frieze was originally sculpted by Robert Garrison for the exterior of Midlands Savings Bank in Denver, Colorado, in the 1920s. Garrison’s frieze emphasizes male settlers’ work settling and civilizing the frontier. It follows a Mississippi farmer as he journeys West with his family. They survive an Indian attack on their way to the Colorado gold fields where they “establish industry and commerce.” In contrast to standard depictions of pioneer women walking westward, Garrison included a few scenes of women cooking and homemaking. More surprisingly, he depicted women shooting at marauding American Indians.

It is now located in the Denver Botanic Gardens. There are gaps in the frieze where it originally wrapped around a corner of the bank building, and where the terra cotta has been damaged by exposure to the elements or during its relocation.

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Garrison Frieze
Projection: Rectilinear (0) FOV: 170 x 71 Ev: 11.34

You can also get a pdf version with the image on one page (but split into six parts).