Abstract	"The Oyen Collection is a group of designs done by artists and workmen employed by Odin J. Oyen in his decorating business. Ranging from preliminary drawings to finished watercolors, these designs show each of the steps from idea to final painting. Because the Oyen firm decorated almost every possible type of building, these designs give the present viewer a better understanding of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Subject matter and style of execution vary through time and partially depend upon their intended use. The Oyen firm clearly suited the subject of the paintings to the use of the building.” – Dr. Leslie F. Crocker in “A Catalog of the Oyen Collection,” 1979.
Abstract	This image is comprised of over 20 photographs digitally stitched together, depicting a framed original Odin Oyen firm oil painting on canvas. The mural's physical size is roughly 19' 7" x 4' 8" (235" x 56"). This mural was commissioned in 1911 after a large fire destroyed many business in West Salem, Wisconsin. Painted by Alex Sodererg, the mural was part of the Norwegian theme at Ziemann Bar in West Salem. A La Crosse Tribune article from September 21, 1975, discusses the mural with then owner of Ziemann Bar, Nicholas Quinn. In the article, Quinn said he has offered to the mural for sale to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. By 1976, thanks to a mention in the student handbooks of that time, the mural is known to have hung in Valhalla, a room in the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse student union in the Cartwright Center building. In 1978, an oral history (F.589 L126 094) with Leighton Oyen discusses the mural being donated to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, with the donor taking a tax deduction as compensation. The mural remained in the Cartwright Center at least up to 1982, after which its whereabouts are not exactly clear. At some point the mural made its way to the Department of Art and into the department's gallery storage, where it remained for many years until being photographed for this digital collection.
Artist	Oyen, Odin J.
	Soderberg, Axel Edward
Creator	Oyen, Odin J.
Owner	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Type of resource	still image
Genre	art original
Genre authority	marcgt
Publisher name	Odin J. Oyen
Place of publication	La Crosse, Wisconsin
Date published	1911
Date captured	2020-01-09
Language	eng
Width	101.65
Height	25.54
Subject topic	Oyen, Odin J., 1865-1926 Authority: LCSH
Subject topic	Architectural decorations & ornaments Authority: TGM
Subject topic	Murals Authority: TGM
Source note	Murphy Library Digital Collections would like to thank the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Art and Art Gallery for facilitating the photographing of the mural.
Use and reproduction restrictions	This material may be protected by copyright law (e.g., Title 17, US Code). For more information about the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Murphy Library's copyright, fair-use, and permissions policies, please see https://digitalcollections.uwlax.edu/.
Collection	Odin J. Oyen Collection / Original Murals
ID	80ed66a4-ac81-47ce-af95-2989136d7b0e/wlacu000/00000039/00000568
Doi	39-00568
Related items	Ziemann Bar Valhalla Bar interior design, Scandinavian, West Salem, Wisconsin, 1911