Existing comment:
Immigrants admitted from all countries: 1820 to 1840 -- 115,773
Panel 28, 1956
Newly discovered! This painting was previously known to scholars only through a black and white image and was recently located in a private art collection.
A table of immigration statistics published in Richard B. Morris's Encyclopedia of American History (1953), one of Lawrence's sources for the Struggle series, inspired this painting. Seeing the work in full color, it's clear that Lawrence infused this composition with symbols of hope and new life. We can see how two of the three figures wear brightly hued robes. The woman draped in golden yellow looks down as she nurses the infant swaddled in her arms. Prior to viewing the painting, scholars believed the middle figure in black might hold a prayer book. Now we know he clutches a single potted red rose, the national flower of the United States.
Looking closely, you can see that certain colors on this painting are chipping. Conservators and researchers believe that Lawrence received tubes of defective red and brown paint in 1956. The painting was treated by experts so it could safely tour with the exhibition. |