Washington, D.C. Government Charwoman (American Gothic)

July 1942

Gordon Parks

Associated Names
Gordon Parks

Artist, American, 1912 - 2006

This black-and-white photograph shows a woman from the waist up, facing us. She has dark skin and short, neatly styled hair.  She wears round glasses and is dressed in a polka-dotted dress with short sleeves and a buttoned front. Her expression is neutral as she looks towards us, the corners of her lips slightly turned down. She stands partially behind a large broom on the left side of the image, its fibers facing upwards. The background consists of an American flag hanging vertically on a white wall, with its stripes and stars prominently visible. On the right side of the image, a mop can be seen in the background, leaning against a surface.
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On View

West Building Ground Floor, Gallery G23


Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

Video:  Jason Reynolds Reads His Poem Inspired by Gordon Parks’s Photograph

Jason Reynolds reads "Charwoman Interrupted Again", his original poem inspired by Gordon Parks's photograph Washington, D.C. Government Charwoman (American Gothic).

Article:  Poet Jason Reynolds Responds to a Photograph by Gordon Parks

The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature imagines the experience of Ella Watson, the subject of Gordon Parks's iconic image.


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gordon Parks, New York; gift to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; acquired by NGA, 2016.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2024

  • Gordon Parks: Camera Portraits from the Corcoran Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, July 14, 2024–January 12, 2025

Inscriptions

on verso, by Library of Congress: top right corner perpendicular computer-printed label: Reproduced from the / collections of the / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; top right corner perpendicular in graphite: LC-USF 34-13407-C

Wikidata ID

Q64154617

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