Bull Dager

Sam Doyle, Bull Dager, ca. 1980, paint on sheet metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.26
Sam Doyle, Bull Dager, ca. 1980, paint on sheet metal, 39 1⁄8 × 25 1⁄2 × 2 3⁄8 in. (99.4 × 64.8 × 6.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.26

Artwork Details

Title
Bull Dager
Artist
Date
ca. 1980
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
39 1⁄8 × 25 1⁄2 × 2 3⁄8 in. (99.4 × 64.8 × 6.0 cm)
Credit Line
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description
paint on sheet metal
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Figure — full length
  • African American
Object Number
2016.38.26
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.38.26

Artwork Description

Doyle and his Gullah community on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island embraced personal choice amid the changing society they lived in, understanding that oppression came in many forms. The title of this piece reflects what is now understood as demeaning slang for an African American, masculine lesbian, but Doyle regarded the sexual inclinations, gender identities, and self-presentations of individuals as part of what made them unique, and his aims were to celebrate individuality. About paintings exploring this theme, Doyle noted: “That’s two in one, a man and a woman, oh yes, a natural.”
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)

Works by this artist (4 items)

Sam Doyle, James Doyle St. Helena's First Black Driver, ca. 1982, house paint on metal roofing panels, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.13A-C
James Doyle St. Helena’s First Black Driver
Artist
Dateca. 1982
house paint on metal roofing panels
On view
Sam Doyle, Untitled (Rambling Rose), ca. 1970 - 1983, paint on metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orren and Marilyn Bradley and Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2015.58.10
Untitled (Rambling Rose)
Artist
Dateca. 1970 - 1983
paint on metal
Not on view
Sam Doyle, Ram Rose, ca. 1981, house paint and beer can on metal roofing panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.14R-V
Ram Rose
Artist
Dateca. 1981
house paint and beer can on metal roofing panel
Not on view
Sam Doyle, Bull Dager, ca. 1980, paint on sheet metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.26
Bull Dager
Artist
Dateca. 1980
paint on sheet metal
Not on view