Women Builders

William H. Johnson, Women Builders, 1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1150
William H. Johnson, Women Builders, 1945, oil on paperboard, 37 5⁄8 x 34 1⁄8 in. (95.7 x 86.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1150

Artwork Details

Title
Women Builders
Artist
Date
1945
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
37 5⁄8 x 34 1⁄8 in. (95.7 x 86.7 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
  • Architecture Exterior — civic
  • Landscape — celestial — star
  • African American
  • Figure group — female
  • Occupation — education
Object Number
1967.59.1150
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1967.59.1150

Artwork Description

Women Builders celebrates the contributions of Black women. Johnson borrowed the title and the women's likenesses from a 1931 book by Sadie Iola Daniel (possibly the center right figure). Lucy Craft Laney, Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Janie Porter Barrett (on the left side of the painting) created institutions and programs where young Black women in the South could be educated and learn practical life skills. Maggie Lena Walker (upper right), an educator early in her career, became the first woman founder and president of a bank in the United States and paved the way for women to enter professions. Jane Edna Hunter (center right) provided affordable, safe housing for Black women working in Cleveland, Ohio, many of whom came north as part of the Great Migration. Nannie Helen Burroughs was an educator and activist for women's rights and civil rights who opened a vocational school for women to learn skills useful beyond the domestic sphere. Johnson pictured all eight women adjacent to institutions they created to foster Black achievement within their communities. 

Works by this artist (1036 items)

View all artworks
William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Artist
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
Artist
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, Tehran Conference, ca. 1945, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.647
Tehran Conference
Artist
Dateca. 1945
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Artist
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view

Videos

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      Modupe Labode, curator of African American social justice history at the National Museum of American History, answers the question, “What can this cash register tell us about Nannie Helen Burroughs?” Burroughs was an educator and activist who established the National Training School for Women and Girls in 1909. Labode discusses the ornate register and how Burroughs pushed women to exceed society’s expectations and to be proud wage earners.

      Artist William H. Johnson portrayed Nannie Helen Burroughs and her school in the painting “Women Builders,” part of his Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s. The series celebrates African American activists, scientists, teachers, performers as well as international leaders working to bring peace to the world. This video accompanies SAAM’s exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice.

      William H. Johnson, Women Builders: americanart.si.edu/artwork/women-builders-12691
      Nannie Burroughs's cash register: americanhistory.si.edu/collections/nmah_532988

      Exhibitions

      Media - 1967.59.1146 - SAAM-1967.59.1146_2 - 141130
      Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice
      March 8, 2024–September 10, 2024
      Smithsonian American Art Museum
      William H. Johnson's Fighters for Freedom series from the mid-1940s is a tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers, and performers as well as international leaders working to bring peace to the world.