Emancipation House

George W. White, Jr., Emancipation House, 1964, mixed media: wood, cloth, and oil, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1976.60
Copied George W. White, Jr., Emancipation House, 1964, mixed media: wood, cloth, and oil, 19 1223 1418 12 in. (49.559.247.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1976.60

Artwork Details

Title
Emancipation House
Date
1964
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 1223 1418 12 in. (49.559.247.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
mixed media: wood, cloth, and oil
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Architecture — domestic — cottage
  • African American
  • Animal — dog
  • Animal — bird — chicken
  • Allegory — other — liberation
  • Homage — Lincoln, Abraham
Object Number
1976.60

Artwork Description

Events tied to personal experience and family histories are often at the center of folk expressions. Here the artist, a Texan of African American, Native American, and Mexican ancestry, incorporates history, humor, and memory into a detailed rural scene in which three men repair a roof while two women eat watermelon beneath an illustration of Lincoln's inauguration. Little is understood about White's intentions in using exaggerated stereotypical imagery. Yet aspects like the electrical wiring that once animated the rooftop men and lit the interior, underscore his delight in entertaining viewers.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006