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A cent and a half a mile, a mile and a half an hour. —Slogan of the Erie Canal Builders

1956
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
In this unlocated panel, which is known only through a color reproduction, Lawrence showcased workers who built the Erie Canal across New York state from 1817 to 1825. Three large figures shouldering a canal beam nearly fill the composition. Their procession creates a high horizon line that shrinks the view of the sky above them. Lawrence utilized the weight of this line to emphasize the sheer physical power of the laborers. He also underscored the human capital needed to construct the 363-mile canal system—stretching from the Hudson River in Albany to the Niagara River in Buffalo—that fortified the country’s pathway to economic and social prosperity.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A cent and a half a mile, a mile and a half an hour. —Slogan of the Erie Canal Builders
  • Artist: Jacob Lawrence (American, Atlantic City, New Jersey 1917–2000 Seattle, Washington)
  • Date: 1956
  • Medium: Reproduction of egg tempera original
  • Dimensions: 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
  • Classification: Reproductions
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2022 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art