Ernest Hüpeden Education Resources

Ernest Hüpeden (Hoop-eh-den), immigrated from Hamburg, Germany, to New York City in 1889. He settled in Valton, Wisconsin, and became known for his murals and his paintings on furniture and household items such as bottles and pie pans. Hüpeden created his largest work, a mural covering the walls and ceiling of a lodge belonging to the Modern Woodmen of America (MWA), between 1899 and 1901.

The MWA panoramic mural was titled “The Painted Forest,” after Hüpeden’s death for its inclusion of the piney hills and valleys near Valton. The final scene of “The Painted Forest” narrative depicts Valton one hundred years in the future (1999), which provides insight into how people at the turn of the twentieth century envisioned the future.

The MWA Lodge remained a public building until the 1960s, when it was purchased by a private party. In 1980, Kohler Foundation, Inc., acquired “The Painted Forest” and began restoring the lodge and murals. Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin, is now the steward of both the preserved building and an additional art studio and study center built near the site.