Law Library Reading Room Murals

Missouri artist LeRoy MacMorris painted the seven murals located on the south wall of the Law Library Reading Room. The murals, which depict the history of the printed word, were among his earliest public mural projects.

In the first panel, a man shows a boy carvings he etched on a tusk, representing man’s early efforts to depict nature and the world around him.

The second panel shows the development of writing in ancient Egypt and Assyria. An Egyptian princess writes on a papyrus scroll and a Babylonian king holds a clay tablet.

The figures on the third panel represent the Chinese, Jewish, and Greek cultures and their contributions to the evolution of literature, including the development of movable type and the use of vellum as a writing surface.

Above the doors, the fourth panel features two cherubs writing, “Let us reveal the wisdom of the ages by the light of truth.”

The figures in the fifth panel represent the Byzantine, Medieval, and Renaissance eras. The female figure on the right holds a vellum scroll from ancient Greece scraped clean to be reused by Christian monks. The woman on the left reads an early book — linen paper held by two boards. The printing press in the background is similar to those used in the 1500s in Venice, Italy.

The sixth panel depicts a contemporary scene from the 1930s, and the culmination of the Industrial Age. Note the mechanical printing press in the background, which made possible the wide dissemination of literature, previously a luxury available only to royalty or the aristocracy. Unlike the figures depicted in the previous panels, the individuals here are everyday citizens. The woman in the foreground illustrates another advancement: educational opportunities for women.

The seventh panel features a woman with her hand on an open book, representing science, while the man resting his arm on the anvil represents industry. The panel indicates that scientific and technical developments are made possible with the knowledge available in printed books.