Boy’s Sunday Trip

William H. Johnson, Boy's Sunday Trip, ca. 1939-1942, tempera and pen and ink on paper, 14 ¹⁄₈ x 17 ⁷⁄₈ in. (36.0 x 45.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1094

Artwork Details

Title: Boy’s Sunday Trip
Artist: William H. Johnson
Date: ca. 1939-1942
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 14 ¹⁄₈ x 17 ⁷⁄₈ in. (36.0 x 45.4 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums: ink
tempera
Mediums Description: tempera and pen and ink on paper
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Cityscape — New York — New York
Architecture Exterior — commercial — skyscraper
Architecture — boat — barge
Cityscape — river — North River
African American
Children
Object Number: 1967.59.1094
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.59.1094

Artwork Description

Posed before river barges and Lower Manhattan's iconic skyline, this dapper troop of African American schoolboys are at home in the urban landscape. William H. Johnson developed his characteristic naïve style after encountering northern European folk art while living in Denmark and Norway with his wife, the Danish artist Holcha Krake. After returning to New York City in 1938, Johnson dedicated himself to the depiction of African Americans, "the painting of my people," with scenes of everyday life in Harlem and with tributes to past and contemporary community leaders and heroes.