Abstract:
This thesis discusses the artist Minerva Kohlhepp Teichert (1888-1976), an early 20th century
American Western muralist. It traces her scholarship from her lifetime forward. Examining
Teichert’s biography and formal art education the research establishes how her trademark style is
solidified early in her art career. Using Teichert’s painting, Jesus at the Home of Mary and
Martha, the paper instructs how to read Teichert’s painting technique and interpret her personal
message of re-envisioning the traditional narrative of Mary as the heroine. Two theories are
presented to explain why Teichert would be motivated to paint Mary and Martha as equals. First,
a market analysis is conducted to trace the trajectory of Teichert’s artistic production, the subjects
she chose to paint and the art market—the selling, buying and her patronage—to show Minerva’s
reliance on a collective effort of women that ensured her success at key moments in her career.
Second, analyzing two murals she painted in the LDS Manti Utah Temple presents an argument
that she was interested in depicting ordinary people as heroes in history.
