The Carpenters

Maker Jacob Lawrence American, 1917 - 2000

Label TextBeginning in the mid-1940s, Jacob Lawrence created numerous scenes of carpenters. More than pictures of construction sites, these images are about labor and opportunity in the African American community, where jobs in masonry and carpentry proliferated with the expansion of the building industry following World War II. Here, two men drill and saw into planks that crisscross the picture plane in an organizing grid, while a third takes a breather, supported by the strength of his powerful arms.

Object number2006.84

ProvenanceGwendolyn Knight Lawrence, Seattle, Washington; gift to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2006

Photo CreditPhoto: Scott Leen

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Forget Me Not: Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence and Jacob Lawrence, May 5, 2007 - September 9, 2007. Seattle, 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. 35, no. L77-2 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. 35, no. 77-2

Credit LineGift of Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence

Dimensions26 1/2 x 29 x 1 in. (67.3 x 73.7 x 2.5cm)

MediumColor silkscreen