William de Leftwich Dodge.
Among the American mural decorators who have achieved a reputation which is not confined to the land of their birth, is William de Leftwich Dodge. Some of the principal decorations of the Boston public library and the capitol of Washington are the outcome of his genius. He has also executed a number of private commissions, and in each and every instance has given evidence of fertile imagination and forceful execution. It is perhaps too much to say that Mr. Dodge has inaugurated or suggested a new school of mural art, but it is certain that he has so modified accepted methods that the results are practically without precedent as far as his special line of work is concerned. He was born in Liberty, Virginia, and, after a preliminary art education in this country, studied in Paris and Munich. He began his career proper as an illustrator, but it was not long before he realized that his future lay along the lines of decoration rather than in the pages of publications, and, as has been intimated, his successes have vindicated the wisdom of his decision. He has been awarded the third medal of the Concours d’Atelier, Paris; the gold medal, Prize Fund exposition, 1886; three medals Cours Yvon, 1887; Prix d’Atelier, 1888, and medal of the Columbian exposition, 1893.