The Strikers

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A Depression-era wood engraving print of a crowd of strikers. The impression is very dark, making great use of shading and shadow to create details. The strikers that make up the crowd are portrayed as vigorous, monumental shapes. Their blocky, geometric forms recall elements of Industrialism, while their angular faces evoke African masks. The man in front stands solidly, knees bent and feet apart. He wears a short sleeve shirt and a cap. The figure turns towards his right and carries a sign over his right shoulder with both hands. The sign, one of the few patches of white in an image of dark greys, stands out from the rest of the picture and reads "UNFAIR TO US" in black letters. There are two men behind this figure, one to his left, also carrying a white sign that reads “WE WANT TO LIVE!

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