Lunch Wagon Detail, New York

1931

Walker Evans

Associated Names
Walker Evans

Artist, American, 1903 - 1975

This is a photograph of a painted advertisement on the side of a building or stall. The image features an illustrated scene depicting a couple in a car - the driver, a man, and the passenger, a woman. The painted scene is rendered in a realistic style, with a background suggesting a landscape with hills or trees. Above and around this painted scene are signs advertising "Hamburger Steak and Onions" for 35 cents, along with the words "Good Food" and "Sandwiches." The photograph captures both the advertisements and the painted scene, evoking a period atmosphere and a sense of nostalgia for an earlier era of roadside dining culture. The contrast between the painted mural and the realistic setting of the photograph adds depth to the image, highlighting the artistic style used to attract potential customers.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mary and David Robinson

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 20.2 x 14.2 cm (7 15/16 x 5 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1995.35.13


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

David and Mary Robinson, Sausalito, CA; gift to NGA, 1995.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1995

  • The First Century of Photography: New Acquisitions, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995.

2000

  • Walker Evans, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, 2000 - 2001, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

1938

  • Walker Evans: American Photographs. New York, 1938: pl. 9.

1978

  • Walker Evans: First and Last. New York, 1978: pl. 66.

1988

  • Walker Evans: American Photographs. New York, 1988: pl. 9.

Inscriptions

by later hand, center verso in graphite: I-9; center verso stamped in black ink: PROPERTY OF / WALKER EVANS / WALKER EVANS / 163 EAST 94TH STREET / NEW YORK 28, N.Y.

Wikidata ID

Q64171054

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