Handy Park Memphis, TN USA By John Turner Lithograph Print The Peabody Hotel VTG

This stunning "Handy Park, Memphis Tennessee" lithograph print captures a detailed street scene with The Peabody Hotel and bronze statue of W.C. Handy in the background. The original artwork was painted circa 1975. It is in very good pre-loved vintage condition, is matted, framed in a matte fold frame and measure approximately 10 x 12. Read on for information on the landmarks and artist.

The original Peabody Hotel opened in 1869 on Main Street. The current Italian Renaissance-style structure opened its doors at Union Avenue in 1925.

The hotel is best known for its Peabody Duck March, a beloved tradition spanning over 90 years. It is also where Elvis Presley signed his first major recording contract with RCA Records inside the hotel lobby on official Peabody Hotel letterhead in 1955. The hotel has been host to well known historic figures, from author William Faulkner to U.S. Presidents including Harry S. Truman, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and also Legendary writer David Cohn who famously stated, "The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of The Peabody Hotel."

There have also been several movies filmed inside or on the grounds of The Peabody Hotel that includes:

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

The Firm (1993)

The Client (1994)

The Rainmaker (1997)

Soul Men (2008)

The Open Road (2009)

It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is a cornerstone member of the Historic Hotels of America.

William Christopher Handy (1873–1958) is widely celebrated as the "Father of the Blues". While he did not invent the genre, he was a brilliant Black composer, musician, and music publisher who first transformed the raw, regional folk-blues of the Mississippi Delta into a formally structured, nationally popular style of music.

The life-size bronze monument artwork stands proudly at the entrance of Handy Park on historic Beale Street. Sculpted by Italian artist Leone Tommasi, the bronze monument depicts Handy standing dynamically while playing his signature cornet/trumpet. Ironically, the statue dedicated to Florence, Alabama's most famous native was actually cast across the world at the Fuse Marinelli foundry in Florence, Italy before shipping to Memphis.

John Turner is a highly accomplished American contemporary painter and Professor Emeritus of Studio Art, having taught at the university level for nearly 30 years after earning his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Memphis State University. Deeply rooted in regional history and the soulful atmosphere of the American South, his heavily textured, impressionistic style is shaped by decades spent living and working in the rich cultural hubs of Memphis and New Orleans.

His celebrated "Along the Way" series serves as a grand visual travelogue, created to document and honor the distinct architecture, nostalgia, and daily street life of iconic Southern towns and global locations. Rather than standard landscape representations, pieces in this series focus heavily on the emotional character and memory of specific places, making them highly collectible for enthusiasts of Southern heritage and American Impressionism.

This beautiful piece would be perfect to add to any art collection and captures unique American history.