Coffee unloading (from Brazil)

Inscriptions

Inscribed and dated, in graphite, lower left: New Orleans 1936; signed, in graphite, on reverse center, parallel to right margin: Paul Sample; inscribed, in charcoal, on reverse lower center, upside down: coffee unloading (from Brazil) / New Orleans

Label

Paul Sample’s portrayal of two men unloading coffee beans captures one aspect of coffee distribution in the mid-1930s. As workers guide the shipment to the dock below, the composition underscores the physical demands of the job, symbolizing the resilience of ordinary workers during the Great Depression. Sample captures the scene with tonal shading and few details. In contrast to depictions of its consumption, coffee, here, instead represents an exotic commodity that echoes the global interconnectivity in everyday American life.

From the 2024 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 118, Coffee and Tea in Art: A Brew of Cultural Symbolism, Solace, and Introspection, curated by Jeffrey Liu '24, Class of 1954 Intern

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 118, Coffee and Tea in Art: A Brew of Cultural Symbolism, Solace, and Introspection, Jeffrey Liu '24, Class of 1954 Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, May 11 - July 7, 2024

Provenance

The artist; given to Dartmouth College Library; transferred to present collection, 2000.

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Subjects