Object Details
- Artist
- Sara S. Miller, 1924 - 2016
- Sitter
- Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks, 7 Jun 1917 - 3 Dec 2000
- Exhibition Label
- Born Topeka, Kansas
- “Blackness is what I know best. I want to talk about it, with definitive illustration,” declared writer and poet laureate Gwendolyn Brooks. From her sensitive, autobiographical novel Maud Martha (1953) to her popular rhythmic poem “We Real Cool,” she portrayed urban African American life with poignancy, artistry, and pride. Brooks responded powerfully to the horrific 1955 murder of fourteen-year-old Emmett Till by white supremacists.
- Published in 1960, her poems “A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon” and “The Last Quatrain of the Ballad of Emmett Till” are moving meditations on the aftermath of Till’s murder.
- Nacida en Topeka, Kansas
- “La negrura es lo que más conozco. De eso quiero hablar, con erudición definitiva”, declaró la escritora y poeta laureada Gwendolyn Brooks. Desde su sensible novela autobiográfica Maud Martha (1953) hasta su popular poema rítmico “We Real Cool”, presentó la vida urbana afroamericana con emoción, arte y orgullo. Brooks reaccionó con vehemencia al horroroso asesinato del joven de 14 años Emmett Till por supremacistas blancos en 1955. Publicados en 1960, sus poemas “Una madre de Bronzeville deambula por Misisipi. Mientras, una madre de Misisipi quema tocino” y “El último cuarteto de la balada de Emmett Till” son emotivas meditaciones sobre la secuela del asesinato de Till.
- Provenance
- Sara S. Miller [1924-2016]; purchased NPG 1994
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- 1994
- Object number
- NPG.94.303
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Sara S. Miller, 1994
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Bronze
- Dimensions
- With Base: 45.7 x 18.7 x 22.9cm (18 x 7 3/8 x 9")
- Without Base: 31.8 x 18.7 x 22.9cm (12 1/2 x 7 3/8 x 9")
- Mount: 17.5 x 17.5cm (6 7/8 x 6 7/8")
- Place
- United States\Illinois\Cook\Chicago
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Sculpture
- Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks: Female
- Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator\Lecturer
- Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Poet
- Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Novelist
- Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks: Literary awards\Pulitzer Prize
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.94.303
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4a3ed622f-294d-4936-b0f5-1573bc73f754
