Journey of the Mann Family, from "The Richard Wright Suite"

2001

Not on view

Throughout his life and work, Wilson drew inspiration from the writer Richard Wright, whose stories made him feel a sense of brotherhood with Black communities in the American South and their struggles. In 2001, the artist illustrated Wright’s short story "Down by the Riverside" (1938). Wilson considered technique and subject matter as intertwined elements of this project, drawing a close connection between the etching and aquatint techniques and the dark atmosphere of the flooding. This illustration shows the main characters, Brother Mann and Lulu, rushing to the hospital on a boat in a downpour. The scene encapsulates the book’s premise of a husband endeavoring to get his wife medical attention right before she gives birth—all amid the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Journey of the Mann Family, from "The Richard Wright Suite"
Series/Portfolio: The Richard Wright Suite
Artist: John Wilson (American, Roxbury, Massachusetts 1922–2015 Brookline, Massachusetts)
Printer: James Stroud (American, born New York, 1958) ; assisted by Keith Monda
Publisher: Center Street Studio
Date: 2001
Medium: Etching with aquatint
Dimensions: Sheet: 12 × 16 in. (30.5 × 40.6 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2023
Object Number: 2023.264a
Rights and Reproduction: Courtesy of the Estate of John Wilson
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Richard Wright Suite, John Wilson American, Etching with aquatint — Richard Wright Suite
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Down by the Riverside, John Wilson American, Illustrated book — Down by the Riverside
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The Death of Mann, from "The Richard Wright Suite", John Wilson American, Etching with aquatint — The Death of Mann, from "The Richard Wright Suite"
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