Tobacco Sorters

Artist Thomas Hart Benton (1889 - 1975)

Date1942/1944

MediumTempera on board

Dimensions30 1/8 x 36 in. (76.5 x 91.4 cm)
Framed: 40 1/4 in. × 46 1/8 in. × 3 in.

ClassificationsPainting

Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2012.19

Signedl.r.: Benton

Accession number 2012.19

On View

On view

Provenancecommissioned by The American Tobacco Company, ca. 1942; purchased by the Artist, ca. 1942-1943; Mrs. Merl L. Brewer [d. 1969], 1952; to Oscar S. Brewer [1915-2011] (her son), Mission Woods, KS, early 1960s; to Estate of Oscar S. Brewer, 2011; (Burton L. Dunbar, Kansas City, MO); purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2012
Label TextThomas Hart Benton imagined this quiet moment on a farm where an older family member teaches the younger generation to sort whole tobacco leaves. The American Tobacco Company commissioned Benton in 1941 to observe tobacco farming and create an image for a cigarette advertising campaign. Benton chose not to record the harsh realities of the industry in the US South during the twentieth century in favor of constructing a wholesome family scene.

Thomas Hart Benton imaginó este momento de tranquilidad en una granja donde un miembro mayor de la familia enseña a la generación más joven a clasificar las hojas enteras de tabaco. La compañía The American Tobacco encargó a Benton, en 1941, observar el cultivo del tabaco y crear una imagen para una campaña publicitaria de cigarrillos. Benton optó por no registrar la cruda realidad de la industria en el sur de los Estados Unidos durante el siglo XX en favor de la construcción de una escena familiar saludable.