Herndon Davis was born in 1901 in Wynnewood, Oklahoma.  At fourteen he left for Kansas City, Missouri, working at menial jobs and taking art lessons.  He later worked in Chicago as an engraver's apprentice and a commercial artist.

Herndon came to Denver in 1920, while in the army.  From there he was transferred to the War College in Washington, D.C. to work on maps of Japan and China.  He returned to Denver in 1936 and worked for the Denver Post while moonlighting painting murals.

That same year Herndon was commissioned to do a series of paintings for the Central City Opera Association.  While working on this project, Herndon became involved in an argument with project director Ann Evans about the manner in which the project should be executed.  The result was either that he quit or was fired, depending on what story you choose to believe.  On his last night in Central City he painted the famous Face on the Barroom Floor.  It is widely believed that the face is a likeness of his wife, Nita.

In 1945, allegedly in a trade for food and drink, Davis painted the mural you see here.  It is an allegorical Denver newsroom depicting some of the most famous characters in the history of Denver journalism.

In 1962 Davis was working on plans for a mural for the Smithsonian Institution when he suffered a fatal heart attack.  He is buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.