Forward Atlanta

by Wilbur Kurtz in 1927

32" x 23"

ABOUT THIS ARTWORK

This historical image shows life in Atlanta at the time (1927) and gives a better insight into how the city looked and felt.

Wilbur George Kurtz, who became known nationally as a Georgia artist-historian and a foremost authority on the Old South, humorously counted himself a "transplanted Yankee."

Born February 28, 1882, in Oakland, Illinois, reared in Greencastle, Indiana, educated at DePauw University and the Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. Kurtz' origins and upbringing were Midwestern. As a young artist in Chicago, he worked as a draftsman, engraver, professional illustrator, and specialized in architectural rendering.

He first saw Atlanta in 1903, when he journeyed South to interview Andrews Raid participants. The "quiet, pleasant town, full of churches, where they rolled up the sidewalks at dark every night," captivated him. He moved to Atlanta in 1912. His home was "right next to a Civil War battlefield," and he embarked on an amazing lifelong quest for history, within a region rich with unrecorded history.