Gertrude Horton Domestic Scene Charcoal Drawings, Circa 1935

Item Details

Gertrude Horton (American, 20th Century)
Untitled (domestic genre scenes), circa 1925–1936
Charcoal on laid paper
One sheet signed “Horton” in graphite (lower left); others unsigned.
Blind stamp to the corner of 2 sheets that also have Strathmore Charcoal USA watermarks. Another sheet bears a watermark for Michallet France paper.
The drawing signed “Horton” is stamped upper verso under the folded edge “St. Louis School of Fine Arts / Approved / 11-2-25.”

This set of four original charcoal drawings by Gertrude Horton (1901–1978), dating to circa 1935, offers a compelling glimpse into the American Social Realist movement and the era of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Horton, a listed 20th-century artist and prominent feminist advocate, was the daughter of the Scottish painter Charles Kay Robertson and miniaturist Jane Faulkner; her personal activism for women’s labor rights and equal pay deeply informs the subject matter of these works. These domestic genre scenes utilize heavy chiaroscuro and monumental forms to depict women engaged in kitchen labor, washing, and childcare, imbuing everyday toil with the dignity and weight characteristic of 1930s New Deal-era art. Measuring approximately 19 by 25 inches each, the collection stands as a cohesive thematic series that reflects the period’s focus on the working class and domestic interiority. One sheet is signed ‘Horton’ in the lower region, and the set overall shows minor edge wear and toning consistent with its age as an unframed primary document of mid-century American social history.

Condition

- toning, smudges, scattered foxing, spots of discoloration, and accretions to drawings and paper of each artwork; tears, creases, and other handling wear to paper at the edges of each sheet.

Dimensions

- approximate measurements of each sheet; artwork may be rolled for shipping.

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• Please note: If the winning bidder selects the warehouse transfer option, the item will be available for pickup at the selected warehouse three business days after payment has been finalized.

Item #

ITMGS65711