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A stylized black dog against a light brown backing board

On an almost square piece of light brown board, a dog at center is rendered in a flat, bold black silhouette without a background. The dog stands in profile, facing right. Its mouth is open, from which a thin bright red tongue hangs out and several tiny teeth show. Its wide open eye is a white circle with a black dot at the center, and two pointed ears stand at the top of its blocky head. Four spindly legs support his barrel shaped chest, and a long thin tail curls up behind him at left.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2011.65
People
Bill Traylor, American (Benton, AL c. 1853 - 1949 Montgomery, AL)
Title
Black Dog with Red Tongue
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
c. 1939-1942
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/337451

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Opaque watercolor (black and red) and graphite on paper board
Dimensions
sight: 30.7 x 36 cm (12 1/16 x 14 3/16 in.)
framed: 48.8 x 54 cm (19 3/16 x 21 1/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • label: removed from mat board: Hirschl & Adler Modern 851 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10021 / Artist: Bill Traylor / Title: Black Dog, Red Tongue / Size & Medium: 12 x 14 in. Poster paint on cardboard / Date: 1939-42 No. M3113D

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Private collection (Charles Shannon?), Montgomery, AL; [Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY], sold; to Didi and David Barrett (January, 1986-2011), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2011.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Collection of Didi & David Barrett ‘71
Copyright
© Bill Traylor Family Trust
Accession Year
2011
Object Number
2011.65
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Publication History

  • Bill Traylor, exh. cat., Hirschl & Adler Modern Gallery (New York, NY, 1985), cat. 10

Exhibition History

  • Bill Traylor, Hirschl & Adler Modern Gallery, 12/02/1985 - 01/01/1986
  • 32Q: 1320 Social Realism, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/17/2019 - 06/03/2021

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu