Saving Alice’s Adventures in New York: Her Mural Traveled a Rabbit Hole Too
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Abram Champanier painted a vibrant mural featuring Alice in Wonderland and her fantastical friends from 1938 to 1940, spanning 16 panels in the children’s ward of Gouverneur Hospital in Lower Manhattan.
- The mural depicted Alice and characters interacting with iconic New York City landmarks like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, and the 42nd Street Public Library.
- This artwork was part of the Federal Art Project under the W.P.A.’s New Deal program, which commissioned around 2,500 murals nationwide between 1935 and 1943 to provide employment.
- Over its 86-year history, the Alice Mural experienced a dramatic rescue in 1981 when a conservator saved it from destruction during the hospital’s abandonment and renovation.