The Polka Dot Dress

George Luks, The Polka Dot Dress, 1927, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Howard Weingrow, 1969.148
Copied George Luks, The Polka Dot Dress, 1927, oil on canvas, 58 x 37 in. (147.4 x 94.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Howard Weingrow, 1969.148
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Polka Dot Dress
Artist
Date
1927
Location
Dimensions
58 x 37 in. (147.4 x 94.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Howard Weingrow
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Figure female — full length
  • Dress — accessory — glove
  • Dress — accessory — handbag
  • Object — furniture — chair
Object Number
1969.148
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1969.148

Artwork Description

George Luks depicted a working-class woman looking regal in her polka-dot dress, white gloves, and flowered hat. She wears her finery proudly as if to defy anyone who might look down on her. Luks felt at home in the slums of New York and often commented on the honesty and humility of workers. His portraits and genre scenes insisted on the humanity of people on the margins of society. As one Harper’s Weekly critic wrote, “. . . fearless good nature and a genuine tenderness . . . help make George Luks’ paintings about as vital an art as one can imagine.” (O’Toole, George Luks: An American Artist, 1987)