Judith Wearing a Party Dress

1978

Nellie Mae Rowe

Associated Names
Nellie Mae Rowe

Artist, American, 1900 - 1982

The image depicts a colorful drawing of a person from head to toe. The person stands with one hand on their hip and the other raised, holding a red plant or floral object above their head. They have bright yellow skin, thin eyebrows, red lips, and black hair styled in soft waves. They wear a patterned, sleeveless dress in red, black, and white stripes with symmetrical designs. Various artistic elements surround the person, including stylized plant motifs with green and red foliage on the left, a tree-like structure with swirling branches and dots on the right, and a background of dotted and swirling patterns with floral shapes in contrasting hues. The artwork is signed by Nellie Mae Rowe in the lower left corner, dated 1978.
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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist, Atlanta, Georgia; 1982 Judith Alexander, Atlanta, Georgia; 1995 William S. Arnett, Atlanta, Georgia; 2012 gift to the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia; 2020 purchased by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2022

  • Called to Create: Black Artists of the American South, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2022-2023.

Bibliography

2000

  • Arnett, Paul, and William Arnett. Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art of the South. 2 vols. Atlanta, 2000-2001: vol. 1, p. 296, pl. 299, repro.

Inscriptions

lower left in ink: Nellie Mae Rowe 1978


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