Created by
White, Charles, American, 1918 - 1979
Subject of
Ingram, Rosa Lee, American, 1902 - 1980
Printed by
Masses & Mainstream, Inc., American, founded 1948
Date
1953; printed 1953
Medium
lithographic ink on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 18 1/2 x 13 in. (47 x 33 cm)
Caption
Rosa Lee Ingram was an African American sharecropper and widowed mother of twelve children who lived near Ellaville, Georgia. In 1947, Ingram had a confrontation with her neighbor in which the neighbor struck her in the head with a rifle. Her adolescent sons intervened and the neighbor was killed. Ingram and two of her sons were convicted of murder and sentenced to death, sparking a national social justice movement in support of the family. Arguing self-defense and citing the neighbor's previous sexual harassment of Ingram, the family was defended by the Civil Rights Congress and Sojourners for Truth and Justice. The Ingrams' death sentences were commuted to life sentences in 1948, and after more than a decade of continued protests, Ingram and her sons were released in 1959.
Charles White created two artworks referencing the case. The first, “The Ingram Case” (1949) depicts the hands of Ingram and two sons behind a cell door. The second, “Ye Shall Inherit the Earth” (1953) was sent to Ingram on Mother’s Day while she was imprisoned in 1954 to assure her of the continued efforts being made for her and her family.
Description
A black and white offest lithograph titled “Ye Shall Inherit the Earth” by Charles White. The lithograph depicts Rosa Lee Ingram holding her infant child. Ingram faces forward, holding the unclothed child in her bent proper right arm, her proper left hand on the child's forehead, which is tucked under Ingram's chin. Ingram wears a wide brimmed hat and a short-sleeved garment with fabric draped around both Ingram's and the child's hips. The artist’s signature is near the bottom right in the folding of the cloth, handwritten in black ink: [CHARLES / WHITE ‘53]. At the front, right bottom corner in black text is [IV], marking the number of lithograph in the portfolio. It is the fourth of six lithographs from the portfolio “Charles White: Six Drawings” printed by Masses & Mainstream, Inc.
Place printed
New York, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted
Schley County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
Portfolio/Series
Charles White: Six Drawings
Classification
Visual Arts
Type
offset lithographs
Topic
Activism
American South
Art
Civil rights
Families
Justice
Motherhood
Poverty
Prisons
Race discrimination
U.S. History, 1945-1953
U.S. History, 1953-1961
Violence
Women
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Eric Foner
Object number
2023.87.4
Restrictions & Rights
© The Charles White Archive
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f9c80067-e1e5-483f-9556-796b45e6b2eb

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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