Visitors to the Port Washington branch of can get glimpses into life on the Cow Bay peninsula in the early 1900s, when the area was largely a seaside resort.
In 1961 renowned artist, William "Willie" Joseph Taglieri, III, was commissioned by what was then Franklin National Bank to paint a series of four large scale murals depicting popular sites in town as they might have appeared in a bygone era. He was inspired by vintage photos and his work brings to mind French artists such as Camille Pissaro and Maurice Utrillo who painted similar genre scenes. Taglieri, now deceased, also created a mural for President John F. Kennedy that was once in the White House and is now part of the Kennedy Library.
Citibank now occupies the Port Washington building and maintains these vibrant paintings that tell the story of steamboats, winter ice boating, horse and buggies and a historic lighthouse. Complete reference information about the murals can be found posted on a wall inside the back entrance of the bank.
