The Minstrel Show

Artist Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889 - 1975)

Date1934

MediumLithograph on paper

DimensionsImage: 8 3/4 × 11 1/2 inches (22.23 × 29.21 cm)
Sheet: 11 1/8 × 15 7/8 inches (28.27 × 40.31 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander C. Weil

Object number2011.11

SignedSigned in the lower-right quadrant in both the plate and in pencil in the margin. The print signature appears in reverse.

On View

Not on view

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DescriptionThis dynamic, horizontally-oriented lithograph is similar in composition and basic characteristics to Minstrel Show, currently in the Nelson-Atkins' collection. The scene depicts an image of minstrelsy, recounted in Benton's autobiography. Four African American musicians, in black face, perform for an audience of white men. On stage, a man plays the drums in the center; another, seated to his left, plays a cornet. To the right, a woman and man performer stand side by side, gazing towards each other. The performers are positioned in front of a backdrop curtain which has a detail of a decorative design. To the left, a white boy straddles the stage and the stairs watching the performance. In the audience are seven white male figures with their backs to the viewer.Provenance

Provenance

Henry C. Haskell (d. 1981), Kansas City;

To daughter Tamme Haskell;

To son Alex Weil and his wife Courtney Weil. (Henry Haskell probably either received the print as a gift or purchased it directly from the artist)

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