The Circus
1930
Oil on Masonite
30” x 40”
This painting, which was made around 1930, shows people attending a performance on a rural property. Two men are in the center: one playing the role of conductor and another man who raises a bottle into the air. African American families stand along the left side of the frame and white families are positioned on the right. However, a black child shares a golden buggy with two white children. The roundabout, clocklike movement shows other chariots filled with people of both races - suggesting time’s gradual progression toward integration and equality.
Shortly before this painting was made, there was an announcement in the local newspaper, Star Democrat about a party where all black members of the community were invited to an estate owned by a family of European descent on Memorial Day. The mother of the artist Ruth Starr Rose held the party to honor Isaac Copper, William Blake, and other people of color whom she respected and wanted to honor. The party was a success, and there was at least one additional similar event again in 1930.