Seriously?

Seriously?

Dave Marner of the Gasconade County Republican could not believe his eyes when he saw two people exchanging numbers, using a historically significant mural by Thomas Hart Benton as a backdrop. He snapped a photo and shared it publicly on his Facebook page. He asked for the woman's card and the offender turned out to be Valinda Freed, the Missouri Republican Party's vice chairwoman.

The mural, and others like it, were painted by Missourian Thomas Hart Benton. Not only is he a significant painter of the 20th century, his family has a deep political history, both in Missouri and the U.S. as a whole. His father was a four-time elected U.S. congressman and his great-uncle, for which he was named, was one of Missouri's first two senators in the U.S. Senate. He was commissioned to paint the The Social History of the State of Missouri mural in the early 1930s. It is seen as historically and culturally significant, with Benton himself saying it might have been his best work.

Dave Marner's photographic took off on social media, with the New York Times even taking note:



Jeffrey Moore, a Columbia-based specialist in the restoration of paintings, said it’s possible the card-swapping left some sort of mark. “Chances are if you do something to the surface of a painting it leaves an impression that never goes away,” he said, adding that any damage is “probably minimal.”

"I offer my sincere apology for my completely unplanned and thoughtless act. The Thomas Hart Benton mural, and all the magnificent artwork in the Capitol, are state and national treasures," Valinda Freed said.

After the photo took off, Valinda Freed did issue an apology: Thoughtless indeed.

Special thanks to Michael Bersin at Show Me Progress for the tip on this story. See the full photo from Dave Marner below:

