The History of the Written Word
Sam Swerdloff
1934
Oil on canvas
3 5ft x 20ft panels

This is a mural in Baltimore commissioned by the Public Works of Art Project. Louis’s most significant contribution to this collaborative project consisted in research on the early forms of writing that appear in the first panel. He also served as the model for the third figure from the left in the third panel. However, it was not possible to determine which areas or figures Louis actually painted.