Dans un Café à Paris (Leigh Whipper)
Loïs Mailou Jones
American Art
On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Witness
Here, Lois Mailou Jones painted Leah Whipper at the height of his career as a Broadway and Hollywood actor. Whipper would soon become famous for his role as Crooks in the 1939 film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. His character—a stable hand ostracized because of his race—served to illuminate the movie’s Depression-era message that the American Dream’s promise of economic and social success was impossible.
The artist’s portrayal of a pensive Whipper answered Alain LeRoy Locke’s call for Black artists to create ennobling representations of African Americans. Locke was an intellectual during the Harlem Renaissance, a movement of the 1920s and ’30s that resulted in a blossoming of African American culture.
The artist’s portrayal of a pensive Whipper answered Alain LeRoy Locke’s call for Black artists to create ennobling representations of African Americans. Locke was an intellectual during the Harlem Renaissance, a movement of the 1920s and ’30s that resulted in a blossoming of African American culture.
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
DATES
1939
DIMENSIONS
36 x 29 in. (91.4 x 73.7 cm)
frame: 42 x 37 x 2 5/8 in. (106.7 x 94 x 6.7 cm) (show scale)
MARKINGS
VERSO
Top half of the canvas, black paint:
Lois M. Jones / 1858 California St.N.W [struckthrough] / Washington D.C. U.S.A / “Dans un café à Paris”
STRETCHER
Top member:
“T 3537” in black Crayon
“Remove Patch With Mineral Spirits” - typed paper label
“1930 / [...?...] Mailos Jones / “Dans un Café [?] Paris” ” - Paper label, partially lost, with mylar cover
“ S. E. No. / MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS / BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS / SPECIAL LOAN EXHIBITION / OF / LOIS MAILOU JONES RE[...?...]” - Typed paper label, partially lost, with mylar cover
Cross bar:
illegible/faded circular stamp
“EXHIBITED PARIS SALON - 1939” in black paint
“# 8” in black pen
Bottom member:
“30[?]” stamped in black ink, last character is illegible, stamp is upside down
Proper left member:
Markings made of black crayon possibly “A+”
Proper right member:
Paper label, see image CONS.2012.1_2023_bt_rev
SIGNATURE
“Lois M. / Jones / 39” - oil, lower proper left corner
COLLECTIONS
American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
2012.1
CREDIT LINE
Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art and gift of Auldlyn Higgins Williams and E.T. Williams, Jr.
PROVENANCE
Until at least 1982, with the artist; between 1982 and 2012, provenance not yet documented; before 2012, acquired by Edgar Thomas Williams, Jr. and Auldlyn Higgins Williams of New York, NY; January 19, 2012, gift of Edgar Thomas Williams, Jr. and Auldlyn Higgins Williams to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Witness
CAPTION
Loïs Mailou Jones (American, 1905–1998). Dans un Café à Paris (Leigh Whipper), 1939. Oil on canvas, 36 x 29 in. (91.4 x 73.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Fund for African American Art and gift of Auldlyn Higgins Williams and E.T. Williams, Jr., 2012.1. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2012.1_edited_version_PS6.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 2012.1_edited_version_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2016
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
© Estate of Loïs Mailou Jones, Loïs Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust
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