William H. Johnson, Chain Gang, ca. 1939, oil on plywood, 45 3⁄4 x 38 1⁄2 in. (116.2 x 97.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.675
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Chain Gang
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1939
- Location
- Dimensions
- 45 3⁄4 x 38 1⁄2 in. (116.2 x 97.7 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Harmon Foundation
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on plywood
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Occupation — crime
- African American
- Landscape — road
- Figure group
- Object Number
- 1967.59.675
Artwork Description
In this painting, enormous hands hold scythes, pickaxes, and shovels, symbolizing the brutal work of the chain gang. Johnson may have seen men like this when he was a child in South Carolina, but he might also have chosen this subject while working for the Works Progress Administration, where archivists worked to preserve the stories and songs of the gangs.