Lawd, Mah Man’s Leavin’
- Artist
- Archibald John Motley Jr., American, 1891–1981
- Associated
- Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration, Washington, D.C., active 1935–1943
- Date
- 1940
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Chicago, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 30 1/8 x 40 1/8 in. (76.5 x 101.9 cm)
framed: 34 1/2 x 44 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (87.6 x 113 x 4.4 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of the Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration
- Rights
- © Estate of Archibald J. Motley Jr.
- Object Number
- 361:1943
NOTES
Archibald Motley's satirical painting depicts a father leaving his family in the rural South to look for work in the urban centers of the North, an ordeal that was faced by thousands of African Americans after World War I. Motley believed that his viewers' familiarity with stereotypes and visual clichés actually clarified his social messages. By submitting this painting to the WPA, Motley asserted that the lives of African Americans were worthy subjects for fine art as well as an integral part of the American experience.
Provenance
- 1943
Federal Works Agency, Works Projects Administration, Chicago, IL
1943 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by the Federal Works Agency, Works Projects Administration [1]
Notes:
[1] In 1943, the Works Projects Administration was terminated, and works made under the project between 1935 and 1943 were distributed to public institutions throughout the United States. The Chicago branch of the WPA allocated a number of works to the Saint Louis Art Museum [receipt for allocation of works of art from the Federal Works Agency, Works Projects Administration, dated April 12, 1943, SLAM document files].
Federal Works Agency, Works Projects Administration, Chicago, IL
1943 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by the Federal Works Agency, Works Projects Administration [1]
Notes:
[1] In 1943, the Works Projects Administration was terminated, and works made under the project between 1935 and 1943 were distributed to public institutions throughout the United States. The Chicago branch of the WPA allocated a number of works to the Saint Louis Art Museum [receipt for allocation of works of art from the Federal Works Agency, Works Projects Administration, dated April 12, 1943, SLAM document files].