Washington, D.C. Government charwoman (American Gothic)

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 black-and-white gelatin silver print of Ella Watson captured by Gordon Parks. Watson is depicted standing in front of an American flag while holding a broom in one hand and a mop in the other. Watson appears in the bottom half of the image, wearing round-framed eyeglasses and a polka dot dress with two buttons fastened on the waist. With her proper right hand, she holds a straw broom, brush side up, and with her proper left hand she holds a mop, with the mophead up. Behind Watson the United States flag hangs on a wall with the canton on the upper left side.

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