Mom and Dad

William H. Johnson, Mom and Dad, 1944, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1012
Copied William H. Johnson, Mom and Dad, 1944, oil on paperboard, 3125 38 in. (78.764.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1012

Artwork Details

Title
Mom and Dad
Date
1944
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3125 38 in. (78.764.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Keywords
  • Animal — cat
  • African American
  • Object — art object — painting
  • Object — furniture — chair
Object Number
1967.59.1012

Artwork Description

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.