The Guardian

Earlie Hudnall, Jr., The Guardian, 1990, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.23.4, © 1990, Earlie Hudnall, Jr.
Earlie Hudnall, Jr., The Guardian, 1990, gelatin silver print, sheet: 19 7816 in. (50.440.7 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.23.4, © 1990, Earlie Hudnall, Jr.

Artwork Details

Title
The Guardian
Date
1990
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 19 7816 in. (50.440.7 cm.)
Copyright
© 1990, Earlie Hudnall, Jr.
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape
  • African American
  • Figure group — male and child
  • Dress — accessory — eye wear
  • Object — other — flag
  • Architecture Exterior
Object Number
1994.23.4

Artwork Description

Many of Hudnall’s photographs focus on children and the elderly. “A unique commonality exists between young and old,” he observes, “because there is always a continuity between the past and the future. It is this commonality which I strive to depict in my work.” In The Guardian, a father enfolds his young daughter as they stand along a street reflected in the mirrored lenses of his glasses. The American flag tucked behind his ear suggests more – that in addition to warmth and affection, he is passing on a sense of community and patriotic pride.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Works by this artist (3 items)

Ray Strong, San Francisco from Russian Hill, ca. 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.89.9
San Francisco from Russian Hill
Dateca. 1934
oil on canvas
On view
Ray Strong, San Francisco from Russian Hill, ca. 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.102
San Francisco from Russian Hill
Dateca. 1933-1934
oil on canvas
Not on view
Ray Strong, Golden Gate Bridge, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.50
Golden Gate Bridge
Date1934
oil on canvas
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Winfred Rembert, Picking Cotton with Boss Men, 2007, dye on carved and tooled leather, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2022.35, © Estate of Winfred Rembert/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Picking Cotton with Boss Men
Date2007
dye on carved and tooled leather
Not on view
Flag Spectre
Date2015
urethane and chromaluscent paint on aluminum
Not on view
Radcliffe Bailey, Untitled, 2022, mixed media including flock, oil stick, acrylic paint on tarp, with steel railroad tracks, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2024.23.2A-B, © Radcliffe Bailey. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Untitled
Date2022
mixed media including flock, oil stick, acrylic paint on tarp, with steel railroad tracks
Not on view
Radcliffe Bailey, Up From, 2015, canvas tarpaulin, velvet, Georgia clay, wood, rock, metal, thread, rum, and tobacco, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2024.23.1A-D, © Radcliffe Bailey. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Up From
Date2015
canvas tarpaulin, velvet, Georgia clay, wood, rock, metal, thread, rum, and tobacco
On view