Our Good Earth

John Steuart Curry, Our Good Earth, 1942, watercolor on illustration board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson and William T. Evans, 2001.4
John Steuart Curry, Our Good Earth, 1942, watercolor on illustration board, 13 3811 in. (34.027.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson and William T. Evans, 2001.4
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Our Good Earth
Date
1942
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
13 3811 in. (34.027.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson and William T. Evans
Mediums Description
watercolor on illustration board
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — farm
  • Figure group — male and child
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Landscape — weather — cloud
  • Occupation — farm — farmer
Object Number
2001.4

Artwork Description

When Curry was asked to create a monumental image for a war-bond poster during World War II, he depicted a noble American farmer, flanked by two carefree children, standing tall in his Kansas wheat field. The imposing figure emphasizes how important farming was to the war effort. This watercolor is a study for the painting, which was then reproduced as a poster captioned “Our Good Earth – Keep It Ours.”

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009

Works by this artist (4 items)

Charles White, The Children, 1950, ink and graphite on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Julie Seitzman and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2009.13
The Children
Date1950
ink and graphite on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Love Letter, 1971, color lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of June Wayne, 1991.179.14, © 1971, Heritage Gallery, Los Angeles
Love Letter
Date1971
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Love Letter, 1971, color lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of June Wayne, 1991.179.15, © 1971, Heritage Gallery, Los Angeles
Love Letter
Date1971
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Hasty B, 1970, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1979.155.1
Hasty B
Date1970
lithograph on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Lee Godie, To the Dynamic Sarlo (Woman in Red with Decorated Hat), 1960s, oil and acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.22
To the Dynamic Sarlo (Woman in Red with Decorated Hat)
Date1960s
oil and acrylic on canvas
Not on view
Barry Dalgleish, Interior with Trunk, 1984, acrylic and oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.84.2
Interior with Trunk
Date1984
acrylic and oil on canvas
Not on view
Stanley Edwards, Infant in Altar IV, 1965, oil and acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.24
Infant in Altar IV
Date1965
oil and acrylic on canvas
Not on view