Harlem River Bridges

Elizabeth Olds, Harlem River Bridges, 1940, screenprint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1984.31.32
Copied Elizabeth Olds, Harlem River Bridges, 1940, screenprint on paper, image: 10 x 18 1⁄2 in. (25.4 x 47 cm) sheet: 12 1⁄2 x 22 1⁄2 in. (31.8 x 57.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1984.31.32

Artwork Details

Title
Harlem River Bridges
Artist
Date
1940
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 10 x 18 1⁄2 in. (25.4 x 47 cm) sheet: 12 1⁄2 x 22 1⁄2 in. (31.8 x 57.2 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Mediums Description
screenprint on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Cityscape — river — Harlem River
  • Architecture — boat — tugboat
  • Architecture — bridge
  • Cityscape — New York — New York
Object Number
1984.31.32
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1984.31.32

Artwork Description

Elizabeth Olds moved to New York City in 1921 to attend the Art Students League, quickly embracing a Social Realist commitment to representing contemporary society. Between 1925 and 1935 she lived in Europe (with support from a Guggenheim Fellowship), New Hampshire, and finally Omaha, Nebraska, where she made the hardships of the Great Depression her chief subject. Returning to New York in 1935, she served in the graphic division of the Federal Art Project, a government program providing artists with work. At the FAP Olds founded the first Silkscreen Unit, promoting printmaking as an accessible and democratic art practice. Her works from this period capture everyday life around the city, often focused on its factories and industrial zones, as seen here, or calling attention to injustices suffered by the working classes.