Horse-drawn Cultivator. Mississippi, 1974, from the series Southern Roads/​City Pavements

Media - 1991.80.5 - SAAM-1991.80.5_1 - 73201
Copied Roland L. Freeman, Horse-drawn Cultivator. Mississippi, 1974, from the series Southern Roads/City Pavements, 1974, printed 1982, gelatin silver print, sheet: 11 1⁄8 x 14 in. (28.1 x 35.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of George H. Dalsheimer, 1991.80.5, © 1974, Roland L. Freeman

Artwork Details

Title
Horse-drawn Cultivator. Mississippi, 1974, from the series Southern Roads/​City Pavements
Artist
Date
1974, printed 1982
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 11 1⁄8 x 14 in. (28.1 x 35.4 cm)
Markings
back center right in pencil: Roland Freeman (written sideways) back center in pencil: 9-8941/10 (written upside-down) back lower right in pencil: 3 (written sideways) back lower right in pencil: RLF 101.2
Copyright
© 1974, Roland L. Freeman
Credit Line
Gift of George H. Dalsheimer
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape
  • Landscape — farm
  • Landscape — Mississippi
  • Architecture — machine — farm machine
Object Number
1991.80.5
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1991.80.5

Artwork Description

Sometimes humorous, always warm, each photograph by Freeman represents more than the instant it captures. For example, emerging from the woods in search of basket maker Lee Willie Nabors, Freeman came upon a horse-drawn cultivator in a fallow field that Nabors farmed. Silhouetted against the sky, the implement becomes and emblem for the spirit of creativity that even the hard life of the rural farmer cannot stifle. Freeman’s photographs tell of African American heritage and folklore and of people for whom the past continues to resonate. They are also the story of Freeman’s life, the people he cares about, and the commitments he believes in.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012