One of the many artists that have touched the Capitol with their artwork is David Koch. Two of his many murals can be found in the House of Representatives; Seraph Young Votes and Engen Brothers. Each mural represents ground breaking moments in Utah history.
In this painting we can see 23 year old Seraph Young in 1870, grand niece of Brigham Young, casting her ballot as the first Woman to vote in the Utah Territories. Much to the dislike of most of the men in the piece, women were allowed the right to vote until 1887. In 1887 the women’s suffrage movement was set back as Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Anti-polygamy Act, which among other things, revoked women’s right to vote.
Koch’s second painting is related to the economy of Utah. There are many pioneers who helped make skiing more than a spectator sport. Three main contributors are the Engen brothers, Alf, Sverre and Corey. The Engen brothers first came to Utah in 1930 to compete in a contest sponsored by the Utah Ski Club.
The vision of these men enabled them to literally use materials from the declining mining industry, which had been the staple of Utah's economy for so many years, to build ski jumps and other ski equipment that would help launch Utah's future economy.
These are such beautiful works of art that perfectly show moments that are important to Utah history. These Murals can be found in the House of Representatives.
