Mural study, 1934 Waterfront Strike, one of twenty-seven episodes in History of San Francisco, Rincon Annex, U.S. Post Office, San Francisco, California, 1941 Anton Refregier (American b. Russia, 1905–1979) New York Produced under the auspices of the Section of Fine Arts, installed 1947–48. Gouache, ink, and graphite on paperboard TD1992.157.7 In 1941, the New York artist Anton Refregier was awarded a commission to paint murals on the theme of the "History of San Francisco." The commission’s 27 panels and $26,000 purse were the largest the Section granted. Refregier no longer felt compelled to illustrate how hard work could end the economic depression and instead, showed the past with all its blemishes. While many of the panels presented typical images of the European settlement of the region, others depicted decidedly controversial subjects - the anti-Chinese Sand Lot Riots, the trade unionist Tom Mooney’s trial, (based on fabricated charges), and the 1934 San Francisco waterfront strike. This 82-day strike by 30,000 maritime workers paralyzed the shipping industry along the West Coast, from San Diego to the Canadian border. Workers had protested against the corruption and graft that kept wages low and dock conditions detestable. In San Francisco, police shot 31 men, killing three. Dozens of others were beaten and gassed. Shortly after the murals’ completion in 1948, conservative Republican Senator Hubert Scudder spearheaded a drive to cover Refregier’s murals because he believed that they "cast a derogatory and improper reflection on the character of the pioneers and the history of the great state of California." Richard Nixon became involved, writing that art "inconsistent with American ideals and practices" should be investigated and removed. Despite the fact that the unhappy passages in California’s history were accurate, Republican officials believed that they should be expunged from public view. The murals, however, were successfully protected by a coalition of concerned artists, museum directors, and citizens and have been recently restored. Back to New Deal America Main Back to Collections Main