Stud Poker
Alston’s family moved to New York from North Carolina during the Great Migration, when millions of Black Americans sought work in northern cities. As a muralist, sculptor, and illustrator, he participated in the Harlem Renaissance and established 306—named for his studio’s address at 306 West 141st Street—as a gathering place for artists, writers, and musicians. An influential artist and teacher, Alston received a 1938 fellowship to travel south and document Black culture; this monumentalized genre image of a poker game may be based on a photograph from that trip. The choice of lithography and subject matter echo prints commissioned by the Works Progress Administration, for which Alston worked as its first African-American supervisor.
Artwork Details
- Title: Stud Poker
- Artist: Charles Henry Alston (American, Charlotte, North Carolina 1907–1977 New York)
- Publisher: WPA
- Date: ca. 1938
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: Image: 12 3/4 × 16 1/8 in. (32.4 × 41 cm)
Sheet: 15 5/16 × 19 1/8 in. (38.9 × 48.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Gift of New York City W. P. A., 1943
- Object Number: 43.33.730
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Charles Henry Alston
WPA
1935–43
Charles Henry Alston
WPA
1935–43
Charles Henry Alston
WPA
1935–43
Charles Henry Alston
ca. 1938
Charles Henry Alston
1934
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