Confrontation at the Bridge

1976

American, 1917 - 2000

This print looks back at one of the defining events of the civil rights movement: the 1955 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama—a distance of about fifty miles—to register Black voters. As the marchers attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge just outside of Selma, they were stopped by police and their vicious dogs. In Jacob Lawrence’s inspirational interpretation, these activists emerge as emblems of human strength and fortitude in the face of police brutality and racism. Striding forth with purpose as dark clouds gather, they are undeterred by an aggressive K9’s bared teeth and angry growls.

Screenprint

19 x 25 1/2 in. (48.3 x 64.8 cm)

Gift of the Marshall and Helen Hatch Collection, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

2009.52.62

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Jacob Lawrence: American Storyteller, June 28, 2024 - January 5, 2025.

Published ReferencesNesbett, Peter T. Jacob Lawrence: The Complete Prints (1963-2000): A Catalogue Raisonne. Seattle: Francine Seders Gallery Ltd. in association with University of Washington Press (Seattle and London), 2001, p. 32, no. L75-2.

Nesbett, Peter T. and Hills, Patricia. Jacob Lawrence: Thirty Years of Prints (1963-1993): A Catalogue Raisonne. Seattle: Francine Seders Gallery Ltd. in association with University of Washington Press (Seattle and London), 1994, p. 32, no. 75-2.

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