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In a "Natural State"

On this day in 1836, Arkansas became the twenty-fifth state!

Joseph Vorst painted Rural Arkansas as a mural study for the Paris, Arkansas, post office. "Cultivate" your art observation skills and name all the farming elements can you find in this artwork! To study a larger image, click on the picture above.

One hundred and sixty-six years after gaining statehood, Arkansas remains mostly rural. It is the leading producer of rice in the United States and has the country's only diamond mine. It is also the only state to pass a resolution on how to pronounce its name! The final "s" is silent, silly!

Pictured: Joseph Vorst, born Germany 1897, Rural Arkansas (mural study, Paris, Arkansas Post Office), about 1939–1940, oil on fiberboard, 25 7/8 x 44 in., Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.