Monday, May 14, 2012

Monday Mural: Jack London

This mural is on the back of Heinold's First and Last Chance saloon at Jack London Square, which Jack London frequently visited.  Heinold apparently let the young London study there and later lent him money for tuition to Cal Berkeley.  The original building from 1883 is still a functioning bar and a popular place to have a beer and watch the boats sailing the estuary.  A few feet away is the cabin London lived in when he went north to the Alaskan gold fields.  (An image of it is in the above mural).  London wrote about Heinold's in John Barleycorn.
This detail quotes London's belief, "The proper function of Man is to live, not to exist."  I was so happy to find this mural and get pictures before the light failed that I forgot to look for the artist's signature and the date it was executed.  My bad.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the murals posted this week.  Once you start looking, it's amazing how many you can find.

17 comments:

  1. I don't know much aboout Jack London but I hear his novel Man of Steel (?) is a good piece of social commentary, relevent today. I like this mural a lot though- well captured too.


    Chrissy from Manchester: a photo a day at Mancunian Wave

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  2. What a magnificent tribute to this great author. I still remember the first time I read "The Call of the Wild" when I was a child.

    Thank you for hosting.

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  3. We read jack London in school. I remember it as being one of the better books you "had" to read. Really nice mural!

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  4. I have been following your mural postings before you created the the meme. I enjoyed every one. This one is another great great find about a man who gave us fantastic literature. Keep on clicking.

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  5. Wonderful mural to depict the life and work of a favorite man-of-literature. I'll have to start looking at murals again, of which there are lots in both St. Paul and Minneapolis. Great find!

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  6. Great mural, wonder when it was painted, haven't been to Heinold's in years, but don't ever remember seeing it. Great Capture!

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  7. Fantastic mural. This week I´m not a participant, but a visitor.

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  8. Sorry - it looks like I posted my mural twice. I hope you can delete one of them.

    Kevin

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  9. I am having one of those days and seem to have posted my mural twice too! I hope that you can fix it! I love Jack London!

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  10. I love your mural. Since I am doing this meme I am looking for more murals than I used too.
    You c9ommented in my blog your tagging could use a larger theeme. Could you explain that. I don't know what tagging is as I am not fully speaking your language and I want to learn. Thank you

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  11. Excellent mural, Carolyn. Jack London is one I have always associated with your fair city.

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  12. Great idea! There are some wonderfully artistic ones here. I'll join in next week.

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  13. I apologize for forgetting to leave my comment before. I enjoyed seeing the history that went with your murals. So often that information is left off because it is not provided at the site of the mural. Not everyone takes the time to research the shots they take.

    I understand the need to get the shot and how time restrains can override our thinking process. It has happened to me as well.

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  14. I love this one ! Wonderful mural with a powerful message for everybody "The proper function of Man is to live, not to exist".

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  15. Beautyful mural and interesting story.
    Have a nice WE.

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