Marla

Copied Irving Dominick, Marla, 1982, cut, bent, soldered, and riveted galvanized iron, 5935 1414 34 in. (149.989.537.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.13

Artwork Details

Title
Marla
Date
1982
Dimensions
5935 1414 34 in. (149.989.537.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
cut, bent, soldered, and riveted galvanized iron
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — unidentified — Marla
Object Number
1988.74.13

Artwork Description

Like many folk artists, Irving Dominick applied his vocational skills to imaginative projects. This sculpture is the best surviving example of the whimsy and care Dominick, a roofer and sheet-metal worker, used to make tin representations of his ten-year-old granddaughter. She is complete with loosely crimped hair, a sunny expression, and circle skirt to match her soldered shoes.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006