Here's a slideshow of the trompe l'oeil mural on the Sovereign Hotel building, next to the bunker-like Oregon Historical Society complex. It was created for the historical society in 1989 by artist Richard Haas. One side depicts the Lewis & Clark expedition, while the other covers the pioneer period, with the various historical figures painted as if they were architectural features of the building. The fake 3D effect is surprisingly effective. To me, anyway. Maybe you aren't as easily fooled as I am. (If you like optical illusions, let me direct you to Akiyoshi's Illusion Pages. I don't get a lot of chances to link there on this humble blog, but it's worth a look. May cause motion sickness if you're really prone to it.)
A few items related to this mural from around the interwebs:
- OregonDigital has a photo from 1976 (though it shows the non-mural sides of the building so it's not useful for comparison), as well as an undated photo taken from the roof of the building.
- Dave of Dave Knows Portland (who used to live in the Sovereign building) points us at another historic photo showing the view from the building circa 1923.
- A recent ZehnKatzen Times post explores the South Park Blocks around the historical society, with a bit about the mural and an explanation of the peculiar street naming along the Park Blocks.
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