A Trompe L’oeil

This mural is very unique because it uses a technique called trompe l’oeil, a French term for “trick of the eye.” This mural is a mural hidden within another mural. This inner mural is one of women working in the orchards during WWI. With most of the men overseas, women were given a chance to work outside the home, and they took on roles that were traditionally filled by men. In 1933, a Mr. Robert MacDonald opened a fruit packing house and employed approx. 40 women. They picked, sorted, and packaged fruit. During the depression, women made 20 cents/hr and worked 10hr days. This is the equivalent to today’s minimum wage. However, the jobs didn’t last any more than 3 months.

The outer mural is one of a museum wall with a little boy looking inside. This mural was so convincing that car stops had to be painted on the mural to stop people from driving their cars into the side of the buildings as they had been doing. The community policing office also received calls about a little boy peeing on the mural.