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Departure of the Joads, from The Grapes of Wrath

A work made of lithograph on ivory wove paper.

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  • A work made of lithograph on ivory wove paper.

Date:

1939

Artist:

Thomas Hart Benton
American, 1889-1975

About this artwork

In 1939, Twentieth-Century Fox commissioned Benton to create six lithographs-with reproduction rights to a billboard-size reproduction-as a promotional ploy for its filming of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. One of these was the melancholy synopsis of destitute, migrant “Okies” from drought-stricken Oklahoma in The Departure of the Joads.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Thomas Hart Benton

Title

Departure of the Joads, from The Grapes of Wrath

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1939

Medium

Lithograph on ivory wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 32.7 × 47 cm (12 7/8 × 18 9/16 in.); Sheet: 40.3 × 60.1 cm (15 7/8 × 23 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. H. S. Perkins

Reference Number

1972.782

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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