- Created by
- Humphrey, Margo, American, born 1942
- Date
- 1981
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 22 1/4 × 30 1/4 in. (56.5 × 76.8 cm)
- Description
- A color lithograph of a bundle of colorful pencils, loosely tied with a bright red ribbon, against a black and yellow background. Each pencil has a pointed graphite tip, colorful, swirling marble-patterned shaft, gold-colored ferrule and pink eraser. One pencil in the bundle has white text along the shaft that reads “SIN WEN WHA.” The red ribbon around the pencils is loose, with two pencils falling beneath the bundle and the ribbon ends floating free above the bundle. A single pencil floats free in the air above the rest of the bundle. The bundle lies atop a black, colorfully patterned semi-circle vessel with a twisted black and white edge. The vessel sits on an uneven yellow surface. Along the right side, within the black background, are red Chinese characters. In a black shadow beneath the vessel, white text reads [PENCILS FROM CHINA], and in a patch of black beneath the edge of the yellow surface is the artist’s initials [MH] next to a small zebra. The image has an even yellow border on all sides, with red flecks along the left and right edges, and a black margin.
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Type
- lithographs
- Topic
- Art
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Juanita and Melvin Hardy
- Object number
- 2020.58.7
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Margo Humphrey
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




