Labor Day began as a tribute to workers, but today most people associate the holiday with the last long weekend of summer.In the spirit of the holiday's original purpose—to honor the American worker—we feature Douglas Crockwell's Paper Workers.
Labor Party
Labor Day began as a tribute to workers, but today most people associate the holiday with the last long weekend of summer.In the spirit of the holiday's original purpose—to honor the American worker—we feature Douglas Crockwell's Paper Workers.
In this imposing image of four paper-mill workers, Crockwell pays homage to the skilled laborers who powered the country's recovery from the depression. The geometric forms of the figures balance the cylindrical shapes of the rolling equipment they operate, linking people and machines in productive partnership.
See this artwork in our traveling exhibition Scenes of American Life: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, on view at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington, through September 9, 2001.
Source: Virginia Mecklenburg. Scenes of American Life: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (exhibition text, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1999).
Pictured: Douglass Crockwell, 1904–68, Paper Workers, 1934, oil, 36 1/8 x 48 1/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor.