Café

William H. Johnson, Café, ca. 1939-1940, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.669
William H. Johnson, Café, ca. 1939-1940, oil on paperboard, 36 1228 38 in. (92.772.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.669

Artwork Details

Title
Café
Date
ca. 1939-1940
Dimensions
36 1228 38 in. (92.772.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Harmon Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Recreation — courting
  • African American
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Recreation — leisure — eating and drinking
  • Object — foodstuff — wine
Object Number
1967.59.669

Artwork Description

Johnson spent decades traveling the world, searching for the authentic spirit of ordinary people from different cultures. In the late 1930s, he found what he was looking for in his own African American community. The strong colors and silhouettes in this painting evoke the African art that Black artists and writers had embraced during the Harlem Renaissance. But this affectionate couple also had the fashionable flash of zoot-suiters in the big band era. Above the table, the two figures coolly take in the café scene; below, a tangle of legs and limbs hints at the erotic energy of a night on the town.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006

Works by this artist (10 items)

Chuzo Tamotzu, Landscape (Towaco, N.J.), ca. 1935-1937, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.91
Landscape (Towaco, N.J.)
Dateca. 1935-1937
lithograph
Not on view
Chuzo Tamotzu, Queens Landscape, brush and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.112
Queens Landscape
brush and ink on paper
Not on view
Chuzo Tamotzu, Landscape (Towaco, N.J.), ca. 1935-1937, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Audrey McMahon, 1968.98.48
Landscape (Towaco, N.J.)
Dateca. 1935-1937
lithograph
Not on view
Chuzo Tamotzu, Cats, ca. 1935-1937, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from D.C. Public Library, 1967.72.255
Cats
Dateca. 1935-1937
lithograph
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Nathan Oliveira, Site with Blue and White, 1978, monotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Moses Lasky, 2004.32.14
Site with Blue and White
Date1978
monotype
Not on view