Brown the Wheats
Samuel Johnson Woolf
American, 1880–1948

Details
Title
Brown the Wheats
Artist/Maker
Samuel Johnson Woolf (American, 1880–1948)
Date
1913
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
50 x 40 1/8 inches
Credit
Purchase through funds provided by patrons of Collector's Evening 2022
Accession #
2022.75
In the early 1900s, economic disparities had become increasingly visible. Samuel Woolf offers a commentary on daily life using a setting familiar to many at the time. He depicts an inviting scene, a restaurant packed with customers while a chef prepares buckwheat pancakes in the foreground. Lights gleam across the shiny white tiles, and a display of fruits—oranges and grapefruits topped with a then-exotic pineapple—suggests the wholesome and quality food on offer. By contrast, the hungry boy peering from the outside is emblematic of an age of haves and have nots.
Image Copyright
© Photo: Mike Jensen.
More from this Artist
Browse Related Artwork

Peter Sekaer

John E. Costigan

Henri-Joseph Harpignies

Everett Shinn

Julius J. Lankes

Joseph Foxcroft Cole

Ernest Watson

Alan Crane

Robert Falcucci