Created by
Rowe, Nellie Mae, American, 1900 - 1982
Subject of
The White House, founded 1792
Date
1981
Medium
gouache on paper
Dimensions
H x W x D: 18 1/8 × 24 1/16 × 1/16 in. (46 × 61.1 × 0.1 cm)
Description
This gouache on paper painting features a representation of the White House set against a solidly black background. The painting’s orange, white, and red imagery includes animals, trees, and an American flag. The scene has been drawn in pencil on white paper and painted over with gouache.
The flag is on the far-right side of the painting and is red and white striped with the white canton placed slightly left of center. The canton has fifteen silver [x] shapes instead of stars drawn across its surface with large, centered silver text that reads [U S A]. The flag is waving above two windows of the White House, which is otherwise not visible in the black background. In front of the building is a fence and sidewalk lined with a row of obelisk shaped stanchions mostly drawn in perspective. There are five shorter obelisks that have black pyramidions, while the fifth, which is taller and stands second from the left, has a white pyramidion. The sidewalk in front of the stanchions is white that has been lightly shaded orange and outlined in pencil. The artist’s name and date are written in pencil inside the squares of the sidewalk and reads, [NELLiE MAE] and [ROWE 1981]. On the far left is a depiction of a tree with tendril like branches in black and red set against a white background that forms the outline of the foliage. Below the tree is a stylized, anthropomorphic figure with legs and upraised arms and with a tall, thin, house shaped torso with a white sloping roof. At the center of the figure is a white square and a white leaf plant that appears to be growing from the top of the square. Above the figure are several birds painted light red, red, and orange, a sprig of orange foliage with a red bud in the center, and an orange-shaded snake-like figure above the word [HELLO] in dark orange. In the background is a small tree with black foliage outlined in white and there is large red long neck bird in the bottom right corner of the painting. On the verso is [344] handwritten in graphite along with a white typewritten label with information on the work.
Place made
Vinings, Cobb County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Place captured
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Visual Arts
Type
gouaches
Topic
Activism
Art
Government
Race relations
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of The Judith Alexander Foundation
Object number
2023.68
Restrictions & Rights
© Nellie Mae Rowe
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd55f32dc5e-52c3-43e7-b502-7db19259d7f9

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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