Bruce Kennett Studio

BOOK DESIGN  •  EXHIBIT DESIGN  •  PHOTOGRAPHY

Senate Chamber, Massachusetts State House

Boston College Law School Photo Mural

This room has been the scene of many dramatic and legendary trials since it opened in 1798, first as the seat of the House of Representatives, and then of the Senate, from 1895 to the present.

Noted lawyers and politicians have argued cases or held positions here, among them Daniel Webster and Calvin Coolidge. Others have spoken here as distinguished guests: Presidents Monroe, Jackson, Polk, and Grant; the Marquis de Lafayette; Native American tribal chiefs Black Hawk and Keokuk; and Davy Crockett.

The project: Boston College Law School wanted to show students how the actions of individuals and groups had influenced the growth of the American legal system, inspiring in them the desire to positively affect the world during their own careers.

The murals show places where significant events in legal history had occurred, in both the U.S. and in the U.K. (the American system being largely based on British law).

More than a dozen color murals, ranging in size from 4 x 6 feet to 6 x 16 feet, are mounted in permanent locations throughout the school. I worked with Dean Daniel Coquillette and law school faculty members to write detailed captions for display next to each mural.