[Prison Work Crew (ca. 9 Members) Digging Trench and 1 Guard]
Ulmann traveled throughout the South and was struck by regional customs that seemed peculiar and, on occasion, inhumane. Showing a group of African American men digging a trench, Ulmann’s photograph places the viewer in the midst of their degrading labor. At right, an armed supervisor, his face strangely obscured, menacingly stands guard. This image was printed for the second edition of the book Roll, Jordan Roll, with text by the Southern author Julia Peterkin.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Prison Work Crew (ca. 9 Members) Digging Trench and 1 Guard]
- Artist: Doris Ulmann (American, 1882–1934)
- Date: 1929–30, printed 1934
- Medium: Photogravure from glass negative
- Dimensions: 20.3 x 28.7 cm (8 x 11 5/16 in.)
- Classifications: Photographs, Prints
- Credit Line: Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987
- Object Number: 1987.1100.275
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Doris Ulmann
1920s
Doris Ulmann
1920s–30s
Doris Ulmann
1920s–30s
Doris Ulmann
1920s–30s
Doris Ulmann
1928–31
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