This portrait of a young black man was done by the African- American artist, Dox Thrash, who supervised the Work Progress Administration (WPA), Federal Art Project's (FAP), graphics division in Philadelphia. He was born in Georgia in 1893 and came North in 1908. He arrived in Chicago in 1911 and enrolled in night school classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and ran an elevator during the day. Thrash joined the army in September, 1917 and was assigned to the 365th Infantry Regiment, 183rd Brigade, 92nd Division, popularly known as the "Buffalo Soldiers," where he was injured during the last day of combat.

He returned to Chicago and completed his art training and then traveled around the country for several years before ending up in Philadelphia where he worked as a janitor. He continued his work as an artist and created the poster for the Second Annual National Negro Music Festival in 1930. His artistic talent was recognized by other black artists in Philadelphia and New York. He became involved with the Tra Club of Philadelphia which gave his work a wider audience.

Thrash achieved his greatest fame working with the Federal Art Project from 1936-1939. It was here that he first worked on and invented the process of carborundum mezzotint with the help of a man named Mesibov, at the Fine Print Workshop in Philadelphia. Dox would make this process his primary medium for many years and produced his greatest work with it.

Dox Thrash gained wide recognition in the art community from the late 1930's through the 1950's. He spent the rest of his life working with young African-American artists and passed away in 1965. He was posthumously honored with a show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2002 entitled, "Dox Thrash: An African-American Master Printmaker Rediscovered."

George Biddle, the founder of the FPA project, said that because of the Federal Art Project, the Depression exerted, "a more invigorating effect on American art than any past event in the country's history." While times were hard, the mood of the posters was typically upbeat and the designs were bold and original and many of the artists felt free to experiment with a wide range of concepts. For American art, it was a vital period that invigorated the entire country's perception of what art could be and brought American art into the international forefront.

Medium : 1 print : aquatint

Created/Published : Between 1935 and 1939

Creator : Dox Thrash, artist, 1892-1965

Part of the Work Progress Administration Collection housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

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Product #: cph3c27638