Painting on Masonite, "Lynching of Wilbert Lee for Raping a White Girl," 1936

01

Artifact Overview

Social control in Jim Crow America relied on violent suppression of the black population -- sometimes even for the most minor infraction. Lynching sent a message to the entire community that no questioning of white supremacy would be tolerated. Although historians have documented more than 3,400 murders of blacks by white mobs between 1882 and 1964, this painting depicts an unconfirmed lynching.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Painting (Visual work)

Subject Date

1936

Place of Creation

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in With Liberty & Justice for All

Object ID

2004.66.5

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Purchased with funds from the Eleanor B. Safford Memorial Textile Fund.

Material

Masonite (TM)
Wood (Plant material)

Dimensions

Height: 29 in (outside of frame)
Width: 23 in (outside of frame)
Height: 24 in (painting only)
Width: 18 in (painting only)