The Pipe Smoker

1932, printed 1981

P. H. Polk

Associated Names
Prentice H. Polk

Artist, American, 1898 - 1984

The image shows the upper half of a person in a seated or standing position. The person is holding a small pipe in one hand and a lit match in the other, near the pipe. The facial features are in shadow, with a dark complexion. The person is wearing a hat made of patterned fabric with light ruffled edges, and a layered outfit with a light-colored apron over a patterned shirt. The setting is dimly lit with a smooth, indistinct dark background, focusing on the person in the foreground.
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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(South Light, Atlanta); Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, purchase, 1981; acquired by NGA, 2016.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2000

  • Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present, Arts and Industries Building, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, February 4, 2000 – July 16, 2000

2002

  • Celebrating the Legacy: African American Art from the Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, January 10 – February 25, 2002

Bibliography

1980

  • Polk, P.H. P.H. Polk: Photographs. Atlanta, 1980: 17.

2000

  • Willis, Deborah. Reflections in Black. New York, 2000: 72.

Inscriptions

signed by artist, lower right below image in black ink: P. H. Polk

Wikidata ID

Q64158586

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