Ditter’s 40 West
40 W. Main Street, Chilton, WI 53014
Website
Map
The imagery in the Chilton mural spans 75 yrs. from 1840 through 1915 and is portrayed in a ‘hand-tinted’ image. This style of imagery was a popular technique of the era bringing color into the monochromatic imagery of the day. Sitting firmly on the Manitowoc, Chilton’s matriarch, Catherine Stanton can be seen prominently positioned in front of the former State Street Bridge. Just beyond the ironclad bridge you can see a suggestion of a fading grist mill that the Stanton’s erected and was fundamental in Chilton’s early development during the time. Catherine is flanked on her right by members of a Ho-Chunk family, each of which has tribal beads and patterns embedded into their clothing. Catherine's image is a hybrid of two different photos of her and she adorns a working-class dress of the era. Mrs. Stanton is flanked on her left by both Civil War veterans Harrison Hobart and George Breed. Both men were fundamental toward Chilton’s continued growth and prosperity after their Civil War military service concluded. Former Hotel Chilton and St. Mary’s parish stand as iconic backdrops for a section of the Chilton boy’s homecoming from the Great War. On the far right of the wall, an architectural sketch of the Malt House sits directly above Breed's shoulder. The central visuals are different tributes toward agriculture; each has a different emphasis but are all centrally positioned in their importance. In these options, you will find two local women raking hay, and a group of farmers appear to be delighted by their new John Deere tractor. Lastly, the font used in ‘Chilton’ is pulled from a turn of the century advertisement and sits in the azure sky above the bridge. All photographic references used were locally based.
Painted by James Barany and student intern artists Emma Barany, Olivia Bonlander, Julien Roberson, Claresa Waight and Reagen Mulvey
