Indian Women on Bank of Stream

Allen Tupper True was a talented easel painter, illustrator and muralist. He devoted most of his career to depicting the American West and capturing the natural beauty of Colorado.

During his life, True received numerous public and private mural commissions, including those from the Colorado, Wyoming and Missouri state capitols. Many of his murals still decorate the walls of public buildings throughout Colorado.

In 1931, the White-Waring family commissioned True to create this 5-panel mural featuring women and children of Native American heritage to enliven the Children’s Hospital Colorado nurse’s library in Tammen Hall.

The mural became a symbol of the hospital’s storied history, as well as a hospital treasure. When the hospital moved to the Anschutz Medical Campus in 2007, Children’s Hospital Colorado enlisted the expertise of the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Art to thoughtfully and meticulously restore each of the five panels to their original beauty.

During the 2019 restoration of Tammen Hall, Children’s Hospital Colorado granted a permanent loan and returned the historic mural back to Tammen Hall.