Voting Booths “The end of the government is the good of mankind…and which is best for mankind, that the people should be always exposed to the boundless will of tyranny, or that the rulers should be sometimes liable to be opposed when they grow

Ben Shahn, Voting Booths "The end of the government is the good of mankind...and which is best for mankind, that the people should be always exposed to the boundless will of tyranny, or that the rulers should be sometimes liable to be opposed when they grow , 1950, gouache on canvas, 15 ⁷⁄₈ x 12 in. (40.2 x 30.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Container Corporation of America, 1984.124.263

Artwork Details

Title: Voting Booths “The end of the government is the good of mankind…and which is best for mankind, that the people should be always exposed to the boundless will of tyranny, or that the rulers should be sometimes liable to be opposed when they grow exorbitant in their power, and employ it for the destruction and not the preservation of the properties of the people?” – John Locke, 1632 – 1704. From the series Great Ideas of Western Man.
Artist: Ben Shahn
Date: 1950
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 15 ⁷⁄₈ x 12 in. (40.2 x 30.4 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Container Corporation of America
Mediums: gouache
Mediums Description: gouache on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Ceremony — civic — election
Architecture Interior — civic — voting booth
Object Number: 1984.124.263
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1984.124.263