Two Hoboes

Two men create a makeshift camp, which seems to have involved chopping wood and heating cans of food. They appear to be worn and tired and dressed in simple clothing. Zilzer’s title alerts us that the pair may be migrant workers who travel by (illegally) hopping trains, distinguished from “tramps” who traveled but didn’t seek work. The older man, at left, is wearing what may be a kepi hat from the Civil War era; his leg is fitted with a prosthetic, whether due to military casualty or a train accident is unknown. The other man’s contribution to an improvised household is music (in the form of a simple flute) and perhaps contact with current events, in the form of a rolled-up paper in his pocket. They’re arranged to be facing each other, creating a loosely circular whole. The scene’s composition is quite strange. Its foreground is very detailed and makes use of drypoint lines to create modeled, tangible objects—deeply worn ones at that. The background, however, shows only the outline of trees and stylized “speed lines”: a passing train? a minimalist backdrop? something more existential? Regardless, Zilzer’s shallow space keeps our focus on the two individuals, emphasizing the dire conditions of their survival. His knack for evoking emotional connection can be experienced by looking at the expression on the older man’s face: weariness personified, yet somehow still affected by music. However briefly, an invisible or reviled class of Americans confronts its viewer in their abandonment and persistence.

Zilzer, Gyula (1898 - 1969)

Hudson, Timothy (description)

Helquist, Morgan (photograph)

New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY

Object #FA 1590

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Drypoint on paper

9 1/2 x 12 in.