Created by
Lawrence, Jacob, American, 1917 - 2000
Date
1948
Medium
gouache on paper (fiber product)
Dimensions
H x W: 16 15/16 x 22 in. (43 x 55.9 cm)
Caption
It shall be unlawful to conduct a restaurant or other place for the serving of food in the city, at which white and colored people are served in the same room, unless such white and colored persons are effectually separated by a solid partition extending from the floor upward to a distance of seven feet or higher, and unless a separate entrance from the street is provided for each compartment.
—Jim Crow law, Alabama
Jim Crow denotes a policy of legal racial segregation instituted by southern states and local legislatures from the late 1870s through the mid-20th century. Jacob Lawrence created Dixie Café the same year he designed six illustrations for One-Way Ticket, a poetry book by Langston Hughes exploring racial segregation and African American migration to the North.
Description
A depiction of a segregated café rendered in black and white, with black diners seated in the "Colored" section on the left, and white diners seated in the "White" section on the right. The drawing is signed and dated by the artist on the front.
Classification
Visual Arts
Type
gouaches
Topic
American South
Art
Segregation
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Margaret and Michael Asch
Object number
2010.73
Restrictions & Rights
© 2015 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd567f7b969-b803-434b-90f1-c131de9036fc

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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