The Way We Was

Herbert Singleton, The Way We Was, 1990, carved and painted wood, metal locks and hinges, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.88
Copied Herbert Singleton, The Way We Was, 1990, carved and painted wood, metal locks and hinges, 97 x 38 1⁄2 x 2 1⁄2 in. (246.4 x 97.8 x 6.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.88

Artwork Details

Title
The Way We Was
Artist
Date
1990
Location
Dimensions
97 x 38 1⁄2 x 2 1⁄2 in. (246.4 x 97.8 x 6.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
carved and painted wood, metal locks and hinges
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
Object Number
1997.124.88
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.124.88

Artwork Description

Herbert Singleton was born in the New Orleans neighborhood of Algiers. His art drew heavily on life in a corrosive inner-city neighborhood and addressed, comprehensively, both themes of racial injustice and the rich African-American cultural traditions of his region. Singleton started carving in the 1970s, making canes and relief carvings on old doors, cabinets, and driftwood. “When the river was low, I would find a plank of wood to carve.” Singleton said in 1990. “I would look at it and wonder if someone's house and life fell apart."