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Allegory of Chattanooga by Joseph Hilton Leech
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography
Allegory of Chattanooga
Photo CreditCarol M. Highsmith Photography

Allegory of Chattanooga

Artist
Year1937
Classification painting
Medium oil on canvas
Dimensions5 x 18 ft. (60 x 216 in.)
Credits New Deal Art Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration


Location
  • Commissioned by the New Deal Administration, Allegory of Chattanooga illustrates the history of Chattanooga from its beginnings to the New Deal period.  Pioneers and Native Americans represent the exploration, survey, and settlement of the area.  Images of rural farming depict the region's early history.  The Civil War figures represent Chattanooga's role as a Union base in 1863 and the Battles of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, and Lookout Mountain, known as the "Battle Above the Clouds". The transmission tower symbolizes the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), headquartered in Chattanooga from its inception in 1935.