Cabin in the Cotton

c. 1931–37

A celebrated African American artist of the mid-20th century, self-taught painter Horace Pippin began painting as therapy, hoping to regain mobility in his right arm, which was injured during WWI. While this work hung in a Philadelphia shoe repair shop, it caught the attention of artists, critics, and gallerists. It is considered an exemplar of the artist's vivid, saturated palette and feeling for intense pattern.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Horace Pippin (American, 1888–1946)

Date

c. 1931–37

Medium

Oil on cotton, mounted on Masonite

Dimensions

51 × 85 cm (20 × 33 1/2 in.)

Origin

United States

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Purchased with funds provided by Thomas F. Pick and Mary P. Hines in memory of their mother Frances W. Pick