Mark Twain

Norwalk's City Hall has at least four murals depicting scenes in Mark Twain's books, painted in the mid-1930s by Justin Gruelle.  They were originally on the walls of a predecessor city hall, but have been removed, framed and placed on the walls of the current municipal building.

In this scene from "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," Sir Lancelot and his knights are riding in on 19th century bicycles to save Arthur from being hanged. Twain placed 19th-century technology in conflict with the medieval superstition of the magician Merlin in this satirical novel published in 1889.

This is another scene from "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court."  The main character, Sir Boss, is living in Connecticut at the height of the Industrial Revolution when a head injury sends him back in time to King Arthur's court.  Here, a young maiden, Alisande, leads Sir Boss to a rescue when he is overcome by the heat.  Alisande uses his helmet to collect cool water to relieve his discomfort.

This panel depicts a scene from Twain's travel book, "Roughing It," published in 1872. The book was an embellished account of his adventures in the West from 1861-1867, where he had traveled at the invitation of his brother who was appointed Secretary of the Nevada Territory.

This painting depicts a scene from Twain's best-selling account of his travels through Europe and the Middle East, "The Innocents Abroad," published in 1869. Twain is shown observing the Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt, even though it had not yet been fully excavated in the mid-19th century.

Linked to Monday Mural.