Object Details
- Artist
- William H. Johnson, born Florence, SC 1901-died Central Islip, NY 1970
- Sitter
- Alice Johnson
- Henry Johnson
- Luce Center Label
- In Mom and Dad the light background emphasizes “Mom Alice’s” dark coloring and direct gaze and may also signal a family history that William H. Johnson hinted at in other details. The calico cat nursing a kitten and the portrait of Henry Johnson as a light-skinned man likely refer to William’s mixed racial heritage (Powell, Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson, 1991). Johnson changed his painting style in the late 1930s and began creating self-consciously “primitive” scenes of African American life. When he returned home to Florence, South Carolina, in 1944, this professional change took on a personal dimension as he attempted to reconnect with his family.
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- 1944
- Object number
- 1967.59.1012
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- oil on paperboard
- Dimensions
- 31 x 25 3/8 in. (78.7 x 64.5 cm.)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- Animal\cat
- African American
- Object\art object\painting
- Object\furniture\chair
- Portrait female\full length
- Portrait male\bust
- Record ID
- saam_1967.59.1012
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk73daafd5d-81ec-41c3-9fbc-3e809f8fec2f
