J.F. Kensett Photomural
January 3, 2008 Library patrons can now enjoy a giant reproduction of a familiar local scene as they visit the library's recent addition. A photomural was installed in the stairway landing by Bruce Kennett in January, 2008. It depicts a view painted in 1851 by J. F. Kensett, one of the prominent members of the "White Mountain School" of artists.
It shows a gentle hillside in the foreground, with North Conway village and the intervale beyond, and Mount Washington at the head of the valley, with Cathedral Ledge at the left. The original oil painting is a bit more than 5 feet wide and 3 feet tall; it is now owned by Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
The Mount Washington Valley first became known across the U.S. when a steel-engraved copy of the painting was issued through the American Art-Union in 1851 and distributed to its 13,000 subscribing members. The engraving is in black-and-white, and measures 10 x 7 inches. Other copies of this view were later issued by Currier and Ives and other publishers, further spreading awareness of the Valley.
Former library trustee Bruce Kennett first came up with the idea to reproduce this image at the library. He describes the library as the cultural center of the town, and felt it would be the perfect place to display this picture. The proposed mural was produced through the generosity of several local people and the support of the trustees. First Kennett approached local art collectors Ludwig and Dorothy Schiessl and asked if they would loan him their copy of the engraving for one day. He then hand-carried the print to Lunenburg, Vermont, where it was photographed on a special Leica art-reproduction machine and turned into a digital file. Next, Kennett designed the photomural to fill the wall space of the stairway, and had the mural produced on a gigantic inkjet printer. John Gotjen and Kennett carried out the installation. Kennett and Gotjen donated their services as a gift to the library and the town.
Although he is known primarily as a book designer, Kennett is also a photographer and exhibit designer. He creates large murals as a specialty, sometimes up to 50 feet long, for clients such as L.L. Bean, Boston College Law School, and the National Governors Association. A few years ago he created a panoramic view from the summit of Mount Washington, for installation in the Observatory's Museum on the summit. It is a backlit color transparency, 48 feet long and 4 feet high, covering 180 degrees of view from due west to due east, showing all of the northern Presidentials. Kennett also designed the Weather Discovery Room on the summit, with interactive exhibits to help visitors learn about moisture, temperature, wind speed, and other aspects of weather atop Mount Washington.
Note: The original source of the above information and image can be found here.