1 10 4 https://openvalley.org/files/original/df165a03bddff6c2af91a0b098723308.jpg 115d78beaf1ca0a380011ca398eb0d5c https://openvalley.org/files/original/bb9fd824ceec74d543d77dbd0e9638b1.jpg 66657e4a9057e1ca033150e3c61114e5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Lithograph on paper Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Print: 10 1/2 x 14 x 10 1/2 in. Framed: 17 1/4 x 21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Headed South Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1 MB jpeg, 773 KB Description An account of the resource About the Artist Born Mabel Jacque Williamson in Cincinnati, OH, Dwight was one of the more controversial and prolific lithographers of her time. She studied painting at the Hopkins School of Art in San Francisco, CA in her twenties, travelling to Paris, Egypt, India, and other destinations after her studies. She married Eugene Higgins in 1906 before divorcing in 1921, when she changed her last name to Dwight (for reasons unknown). Even before making art full time, she had become a champion of socialist art and ideals, inspired by her time in college. “I was born with a hatred for the duality of poverty and riches,” she recalled. In 1926, at the age of fifty, Dwight began making her first lithographs and by 1928 her work was displayed at the Weyhe Gallery in New York City. Dwight’s main subjects were the ordinary residents of New York City, depicting their lives during 1920s opulence and then the Great Depression. Dwight’s lithographs offered an unflinching, documentary view that was suffused with social commentary. As she later explained, “There are always artists who cannot be satisfied with the credo of art for art’s sake. They must tell stories, express opinions, and ‘take sides’” (“Satire in Art” 151). Dwight observed, however, that the great satirists like William Hogarth rarely made use of “arbitrary distortion,” and her lithographs usually had realistic and inclusive features—such as rounded forms and subtle lighting—that create unity among its subjects. Dwight brought complex social issues to an accessible medium with subtlety and artistic integrity. Dwight was employed by the Federal Art Project (1935-1939) and was a member of the American Artists’ Congress, which championed socialist policies and promoted artists’ rights. By the end of her career in 1941, she had created more than a hundred lithographs collected at a variety of museums and universities. 27 works at <a href="https://whitney.org/artists/388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitney Museum of American Art</a>. 19 works at <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=%22mabel+dwight%22&offset=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/search/artworks?content_type=artwork&persons%5b%5d=2611" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 23 works at <a href="https://www.cartermuseum.org/artists/mabel-dwight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amon Carter Museum</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://www.nga.gov/artists/6498-mabel-dwight/artworks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art</a>. 10 images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-6-folder-37" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted:Mabel Dwight, “Satire in Art," in Art for the Millions: Essays from the 1930s by Artists and Administrators of the WPA Federal Art Project, ed. Francis V. O'Connor (1973) <a href="https://archive.org/details/artformillionses00ocon/page/151/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; David Herman. “Mabel Dwight: Art as a Living Influence on the World,” Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (2026) <a href="https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/03/18/mabel-dwight-art-as-a-living-influence-on-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Library of Congress, Life of the People: Realist Prints and Drawings from the Ben and Beatrice Goldstein collection, 1912-1948 (1999) <a href="https://archive.org/details/lifeofpeoplereal0000unse/mode/2up?q=%22mabel+dwight%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dwight, Mabel (1876-1955) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1935 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Scamardo, Sam (biography) Helquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 1211 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project lithograph Mabel Dwight Marine Art New Deal Museum https://openvalley.org/files/original/b4802ccc15c280ca7e86ab8498d385c4.jpg f2866e65cb007466c98292cf082ab49c https://openvalley.org/files/original/8799d2fa53e92c2f194b9752a931a127.jpg 190f7a0828e20a278d816fee35239b81 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Lithograph on paper Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Image: 14 3/8 x 10 1/4 in. Framed: 21 x 17 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lonely House Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 2.3 MB jpeg, 714 KB Description An account of the resource A house is pictured by itself, but what makes it lonely? Many small details, along with Dwight's stylized composition, supply the answer. The building's stone walls still look sturdy, but its chimneys and shutters are in ill-repair; trees extended over its roof haven't been pruned in some time. There may be some kind of animal perched there. We can discern traces of former caretaking, like the posts of a fence and specimen plantings that are overgrown. What seems to be a conservatory or greenhouse is visible at right, above it an enigmatic cruciform object. Dwight's brushstrokes are create soft, even pillowy masses of foliage, clouds, and even furrows in the road--quite incongruous with the sense of abandonment that may be compared with Dorothy Varian's <a href="https://openvalley.org/items/show/1052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deserted House</a> (1935). Here, the sky's mottled lighting is reproduced upon the landscape below, with only a pair of lighted windows at left to suggest any remaining inhabitants. In just a few years Virginia Wade Burton's children's book, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_House_(picture_book)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Little House</a> (1942), would teach readers to identify with an abandoned home that seems to already inform Dwight's print. About the Artist Born Mabel Jacque Williamson in Cincinnati, OH, Dwight was one of the more controversial and prolific lithographers of her time. She studied painting at the Hopkins School of Art in San Francisco, CA in her twenties, travelling to Paris, Egypt, India, and other destinations after her studies. She married Eugene Higgins in 1906 before divorcing in 1921, when she changed her last name to Dwight (for reasons unknown). Even before making art full time, she had become a champion of socialist art and ideals, inspired by her time in college. “I was born with a hatred for the duality of poverty and riches,” she recalled. In 1926, at the age of fifty, Dwight began making her first lithographs and by 1928 her work was displayed at the Weyhe Gallery in New York City. Dwight’s main subjects were the ordinary residents of New York City, depicting their lives during 1920s opulence and then the Great Depression. Dwight’s lithographs offered an unflinching, documentary view that was suffused with social commentary. As she later explained, “There are always artists who cannot be satisfied with the credo of art for art’s sake. They must tell stories, express opinions, and ‘take sides’” (“Satire in Art” 151). Dwight observed, however, that the great satirists like William Hogarth rarely made use of “arbitrary distortion,” and her lithographs usually had realistic and inclusive features—such as rounded forms and subtle lighting—that create unity among its subjects. Dwight brought complex social issues to an accessible medium with subtlety and artistic integrity. Dwight was employed by the Federal Art Project (1935-1939) and was a member of the American Artists’ Congress, which championed socialist policies and promoted artists’ rights. By the end of her career in 1941, she had created more than a hundred lithographs collected at a variety of museums and universities. 27 works at <a href="https://whitney.org/artists/388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitney Museum of American Art</a>. 19 works at <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=%22mabel+dwight%22&offset=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/search/artworks?content_type=artwork&persons%5b%5d=2611" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 23 works at <a href="https://www.cartermuseum.org/artists/mabel-dwight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amon Carter Museum</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://www.nga.gov/artists/6498-mabel-dwight/artworks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art</a>. 10 images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-6-folder-37" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted:Mabel Dwight, “Satire in Art," in Art for the Millions: Essays from the 1930s by Artists and Administrators of the WPA Federal Art Project, ed. Francis V. O'Connor (1973) <a href="https://archive.org/details/artformillionses00ocon/page/151/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; David Herman. “Mabel Dwight: Art as a Living Influence on the World,” Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (2026) <a href="https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/03/18/mabel-dwight-art-as-a-living-influence-on-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Library of Congress, Life of the People: Realist Prints and Drawings from the Ben and Beatrice Goldstein collection, 1912-1948 (1999) <a href="https://archive.org/details/lifeofpeoplereal0000unse/mode/2up?q=%22mabel+dwight%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dwight, Mabel (1876-1955) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (description) Scamardo, Sam (biography) Helquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 1194 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project landscape Mabel Dwight New Deal Museum Ruins https://openvalley.org/files/original/06d0b5b794d6e608f8e0a1b1a17b8f66.jpg 5043a8a79e61ed0a0ad6efc40a15c50f https://openvalley.org/files/original/9763db64a1c1c788b71115008d02229d.jpg 362ee2ddb27b89b64a7458c0824a2feb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Lithograph on paper Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Image: 12.5 x 9.75 in. Sheet: 16 x 11.5 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cliffs by the Sea Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 2.2 MB jpeg, 2.1 MB Description An account of the resource About the Artist Born Mabel Jacque Williamson in Cincinnati, OH, Dwight was one of the more controversial and prolific lithographers of her time. She studied painting at the Hopkins School of Art in San Francisco, CA in her twenties, travelling to Paris, Egypt, India, and other destinations after her studies. She married Eugene Higgins in 1906 before divorcing in 1921, when she changed her last name to Dwight (for reasons unknown). Even before making art full time, she had become a champion of socialist art and ideals, inspired by her time in college. “I was born with a hatred for the duality of poverty and riches,” she recalled. In 1926, at the age of fifty, Dwight began making her first lithographs and by 1928 her work was displayed at the Weyhe Gallery in New York City. Dwight’s main subjects were the ordinary residents of New York City, depicting their lives during 1920s opulence and then the Great Depression. Dwight’s lithographs offered an unflinching, documentary view that was suffused with social commentary. As she later explained, “There are always artists who cannot be satisfied with the credo of art for art’s sake. They must tell stories, express opinions, and ‘take sides’” (“Satire in Art” 151). Dwight observed, however, that the great satirists like William Hogarth rarely made use of “arbitrary distortion,” and her lithographs usually had realistic and inclusive features—such as rounded forms and subtle lighting—that create unity among its subjects. Dwight brought complex social issues to an accessible medium with subtlety and artistic integrity. Dwight was employed by the Federal Art Project (1935-1939) and was a member of the American Artists’ Congress, which championed socialist policies and promoted artists’ rights. By the end of her career in 1941, she had created more than a hundred lithographs collected at a variety of museums and universities. 27 works at <a href="https://whitney.org/artists/388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitney Museum of American Art</a>. 19 works at <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=%22mabel+dwight%22&offset=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/search/artworks?content_type=artwork&persons%5b%5d=2611" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 23 works at <a href="https://www.cartermuseum.org/artists/mabel-dwight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amon Carter Museum</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://www.nga.gov/artists/6498-mabel-dwight/artworks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art</a>. 10 images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-6-folder-37" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted:Mabel Dwight, “Satire in Art," in Art for the Millions: Essays from the 1930s by Artists and Administrators of the WPA Federal Art Project, ed. Francis V. O'Connor (1973) <a href="https://archive.org/details/artformillionses00ocon/page/151/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; David Herman. “Mabel Dwight: Art as a Living Influence on the World,” Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (2026) <a href="https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/03/18/mabel-dwight-art-as-a-living-influence-on-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Library of Congress, Life of the People: Realist Prints and Drawings from the Ben and Beatrice Goldstein collection, 1912-1948 (1999) <a href="https://archive.org/details/lifeofpeoplereal0000unse/mode/2up?q=%22mabel+dwight%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dwight, Mabel (1876-1955) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource c. 1935 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Scamardo, Sam (biography) Helquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 1195 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project lithograph Mabel Dwight New Deal Museum Nude https://openvalley.org/files/original/458151059727d7faefe395e2bc0a2ea4.jpg ac53f27af5ee69e554fd97a00ba5ed76 https://openvalley.org/files/original/0734b16e39a9dff1d3f7c930d34164c3.jpg b17e327a682a6676630b9e13a6755f5c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Lithograph Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Christmas Trees Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dwight, Mabel (1876-1955) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.9 MB jpeg, 1.9 MB Description An account of the resource Several people gather Christmas trees in a snowy, urban setting. The foreground includes two men, a woman and a baby, a young child, and (incongruously) a cat all gathered around a pile of Christmas trees. In the background we see a butcher at work, with a woman and a child looking into the store’s window. Dwight’s use of tonal value helps the viewer differentiate Christmas trees in the foreground from those in the background, and the surrounding buildings. Her handling of form helps create a three-dimensional space that gives the trees and background contents shape: they’re desirable even to us. The scene is composed asymmetrically, with more negative space to the right and positive space to the left, filled with people and Christmas trees. The lack of an obvious focal point allows the viewer to understand a subtle disorder to the scene, encapsulated by citizens dragging large trees with children and pets running through the area. Dwight’s work provides a commentary on the natural world’s bounty being hauled into an industrialized urban setting—a seemingly prosperous one, at that. Outside of the frame, or perhaps hinted at via a shadowy figure at right, are Americans unable to afford the material accoutrements of Christmas.  About the Artist Born Mabel Jacque Williamson in Cincinnati, OH, Dwight was one of the more controversial and prolific lithographers of her time. She studied painting at the Hopkins School of Art in San Francisco, CA in her twenties, travelling to Paris, Egypt, India, and other destinations after her studies. She married Eugene Higgins in 1906 before divorcing in 1921, when she changed her last name to Dwight (for reasons unknown). Even before making art full time, she had become a champion of socialist art and ideals, inspired by her time in college. “I was born with a hatred for the duality of poverty and riches,” she recalled. In 1926, at the age of fifty, Dwight began making her first lithographs and by 1928 her work was displayed at the Weyhe Gallery in New York City. Dwight’s main subjects were the ordinary residents of New York City, depicting their lives during 1920s opulence and then the Great Depression. Dwight’s lithographs offered an unflinching, documentary view that was suffused with social commentary. As she later explained, “There are always artists who cannot be satisfied with the credo of art for art’s sake. They must tell stories, express opinions, and ‘take sides’” (“Satire in Art” 151). Dwight observed, however, that the great satirists like William Hogarth rarely made use of “arbitrary distortion,” and her lithographs usually had realistic and inclusive features—such as rounded forms and subtle lighting—that create unity among its subjects. Dwight brought complex social issues to an accessible medium with subtlety and artistic integrity. Dwight was employed by the Federal Art Project (1935-1939) and was a member of the American Artists’ Congress, which championed socialist policies and promoted artists’ rights. By the end of her career in 1941, she had created more than a hundred lithographs collected at a variety of museums and universities. 27 works at <a href="https://whitney.org/artists/388" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitney Museum of American Art</a>. 19 works at <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=%22mabel+dwight%22&offset=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/search/artworks?content_type=artwork&persons%5b%5d=2611" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 23 works at <a href="https://www.cartermuseum.org/artists/mabel-dwight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amon Carter Museum</a>. 20 works at <a href="https://www.nga.gov/artists/6498-mabel-dwight/artworks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art</a>. 10 images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-6-folder-37" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted:Mabel Dwight, “Satire in Art," in Art for the Millions: Essays from the 1930s by Artists and Administrators of the WPA Federal Art Project, ed. Francis V. O'Connor (1973) <a href="https://archive.org/details/artformillionses00ocon/page/151/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; David Herman. “Mabel Dwight: Art as a Living Influence on the World,” Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (2026) <a href="https://www.villagepreservation.org/2026/03/18/mabel-dwight-art-as-a-living-influence-on-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Library of Congress, Life of the People: Realist Prints and Drawings from the Ben and Beatrice Goldstein collection, 1912-1948 (1999) <a href="https://archive.org/details/lifeofpeoplereal0000unse/mode/2up?q=%22mabel+dwight%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1939 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Scamardo, Sam (description and biography) Helquist, Morgan (photography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 1203 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Artists Union Federal Art Project lithograph Mabel Dwight New Deal Museum Satire socialism