This photograph shows Ringgold County artist Orr Cleveland Fisher working on a portrait of Willis Ray "Willie" Willey in the early 1920s. "Willie" and his twin brother Willard Roy Willey were born September 15, 1884 in Mount Ayr. Willis Ray Willey moved to Spokane, Washington, about 1905 and embraced a life of homelessness with a disdain for clothing. Keith Yates wrote a book in 1966 about "Willie" entitled, "The Life of Willie Willey." Orr Fisher was an artist, writer, traveler, and political pundit. He studied under Grant Wood and produced about 1,000 works. In the early 1940s, Fisher was commissioned by the Works Projects Administration to paint murals for the post offices in Mount Ayr and Forest City, Iowa. His mural, "The Corn Parade," was hung in the Mount Ayr Post Office on June 11, 1941 and is still there today. Content can be used with the following standards: 3rd grade SS 3.28 Cultural Contributions in a lesson on entertainment and culture of the mid-1900s. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.
2018.021.084 [Portrait]
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Ownership of this resource is held by the Mount Ayr Depot Museum and has been provided here for educational purposes only, specifically for use in the Iowa Museum Association's "Teaching Iowa History" project. It may not be downloaded, reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission from the Rights Holder. For information on U.S. and International copyright laws, consult an attorney.