Missouri Courtroom

William Josiah Brickey, Missouri Courtroom, 1852, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1974.112
William Josiah Brickey, Missouri Courtroom, 1852, oil on canvas, 29 1⁄8 x 36 in. (74.0 x 91.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1974.112
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Artwork Details

Title
Missouri Courtroom
Artist
Date
1852
Location
Dimensions
29 1⁄8 x 36 in. (74.0 x 91.5 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Interior — civic — courthouse
  • Occupation — law — lawyer
  • State of being — other — poverty
  • Cityscape — Missouri
  • Occupation — law — judge
  • Figure group
  • Animal — dog
Object Number
1974.112
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1974.112

Artwork Description

The participants in this courtroom scene focus their attention on a fair-skinned man dressed in rags, possibly one of the thousands of Irish immigrants who had escaped the potato famine and made their way to Missouri. These farmers settled in urban areas where they hired out as day laborers, struggling to get by with little income and no property of their own. (Parrish, gen. ed., A History of Missouri, vol. II, 1972) The men who sit in judgment are clearly more prosperous, and this painting evokes the mixed welcome that generations of European immigrants experienced in nineteenth-century America.

Works by this artist (744 items)

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William Zorach, Head of Etta Cone, 1943, cast plaster on plaster base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1968.154.152
Head of Etta Cone
Artist
Date1943
cast plaster on plaster base
On view
William Zorach, Seated Girl (with hands under legs), 1930, cast and patinated plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1971.449.8
Seated Girl (with hands under legs)
Artist
Date1930
cast and patinated plaster
On view
William Zorach, Undaunted (Torso), 1963, cast plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1971.449.17
Undaunted (Torso)
Artist
Date1963
cast plaster
On view
William Zorach, Study for Head of Moses, ca. 1950, unfired ceramic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1968.154.161
Study for Head of Moses
Artist
Dateca. 1950
unfired ceramic
On view

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Owen McHugh, Unfolded #25, n.d., watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the S. W. and B. M. Koffler Foundation, 1980.103.5
Unfolded #25
Artist
Daten.d.
watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper
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Forrest Flower, Forest Scene, ca. 1930-1939, gouache and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Olin Dows, 1983.90.36
Forest Scene
Artist
Dateca. 1930-1939
gouache and pencil on paper
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William H. Johnson, Farm Couple, ca. 1940, gouache, pen and ink with pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1057
Farm Couple
Artist
Dateca. 1940
gouache, pen and ink with pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Blind Musicians, ca. 1939-1940, recto: gouache on paper verso: crayon and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1129R-V
Blind Musicians
Artist
Dateca. 1939-1940
recto: gouache on paper verso: crayon and pencil on paper
Not on view