Hell's Crossing
1933
Black-and-white lithograph
12” x 15 1/2” plate
This is a snapshot from one hundred years ago of a black neighborhood in the historic town of St. Michaels, Maryland. Again, the sense of community is strong, and the viewer is anchored in a slightly elevated view, with a central dirt lane winding through the composition. Townspeople are shown in a variety of positions, alternately sitting on the front steps to their house, standing, carrying a bucket, or guiding a wheelbarrow. This print shows how economically disadvantaged people lived closely together and coped with everyday problems such as providing basic hygiene and food for their families. The print can also be noted for its theatrical quality, much like a stage set for Porgy and Bess. The fact that author DuBose Heyward spent Easter at the artist’s farm in 1935 adds to the sense that this lithograph sprang from admiration for other artists who were also compelled to describe a part of American society that was seldom addressed. The opera’s conductor, Alexander Smallens, visited the area twice in the early 1930s. These trips coincided with the period when he was directing the Philadelphia Orchestra and was also working with Baltimorean author Gertrude Stein on Four Saints in Three Acts, the avant-garde opera sung by an all-black cast.