Courtroom Ceiling Mural

Indiana is the first state represented at the north end (front) of the ceiling. Flora, center, represents both the fertility of the soil and the virtue of the citizenry. In her right hand she holds a set of scales representing justice and the pharmaceutical industry. Sitting on her hip is a cherub with a torch symbolizing enlightened youth. Below her, a cherub reaches for a tobacco plant growing out of Kentucky. The male figure in the lower right corner holding a circle and calipers represents Indiana industry. Flora is facing east toward three floating female figures with outstretched arms “bearing tribute,” representing Indiana’s agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical trades with the rest of the nation. To the west are workers on a steel girder.

In the next panel, Illinois is represented by the Greek and Roman hero, Hercules. He is seated in the center with his hand on the lever of a machine to represent the industrial economy of the state. On the right, a seated male figure next to a tree symbolizes lumbering, while a female figure at a loom below him represents the textile industry. On the left, a male figure with a bow represents hunting. Another female figure holding a rake and seated by a sheaf of grain represents agriculture.

Ohio is depicted in the center panel and is symbolized by Mercury, messenger of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology. He leads a stallion, symbolizing the Ohio Company of Associates, which founded Marietta and opened Ohio and the entire Northwest Territory for settlement. On the left is a female figure seated by a sheaf of grain and holding a lamp. Seated in front of her is an American Indian with his hand on a plow. The cherub in the upper right — a tribute to the Ohio Company settlers — represents references in the Northwest Ordinance to public education and religious institutions. At the lower right is a woman with grain.

The image depicting Michigan shows the American Indian spirit Manitou floating on a buffalo skin and bearing arrows, a symbol of authority, in his right hand. The female figure on the right represents trade with Canada, while the man seated in a boat below her refers to fishing and trade on the Great Lakes. On the left, the man bearing an ax represents lumbering and the woman below symbolizes fertility, a reference to the agricultural richness of the state.

Wisconsin, depicted in the rear of the Courtroom, is represented by an American Indian woman intended to symbolize Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruits and garlands. The woman floats in with a bull, representing Wisconsin’s agriculture. Two male figures with a ram and coil of wool reference the state’s sheep-raising industry. The female figure gesturing toward Lake Michigan symbolizes navigation and the lone male figure on the rocks represents interstate commerce.