Walton Ford

Six Fingers
1989

The image features a bold, graphic print with the words "SIX FINGERS" at the top in large, block letters. Below is a stylized black and white illustration of a smiling child with six fingers on each hand, holding a knife in one hand and a bird in the other, with several birds flying around. The background includes floral elements and swirls. At the bottom, there is a block of text that reads: "Among the little babies born on the plantation, was one having six fingers on each hand. My mother cut off the extra fingers, and I buried them under a rose bush in her flower garden. She was given to me and I named her Queen Victoria. I once saw a picture of the baby Queen with pigeons around her, and I thought it a beautiful name for my little pickaninny. -EMILY DONELSON WALTON, 1837-1936." The artist's signature and date are in the lower left corner.
The image features a bold, graphic print with the words "SIX FINGERS" at the top in large, block letters. Below is a stylized black and white illustration of a smiling child with six fingers on each hand, holding a knife in one hand and a bird in the other, with several birds flying around. The background includes floral elements and swirls. At the bottom, there is a block of text that reads: "Among the little babies born on the plantation, was one having six fingers on each hand. My mother cut off the extra fingers, and I buried them under a rose bush in her flower garden. She was given to me and I named her Queen Victoria. I once saw a picture of the baby Queen with pigeons around her, and I thought it a beautiful name for my little pickaninny. -EMILY DONELSON WALTON, 1837-1936." The artist's signature and date are in the lower left corner.

Not on view

Date
1989

Classification
Prints

Medium
Linoleum cut and letterpress

Dimensions
Sheet: 26 3/16 × 18 15/16in. (66.5 × 48.1 cm) Image: 12 × 12in. (30.5 × 30.5 cm)

Accession number
99.67.2

Series
from suite of two prints, Six Fingers and Sharp Teeth

Edition
PP 2/2 | Ed. 100

Publication
Printed by Solo Press, Inc., New York; published by Walton Ford

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation

Rights and reproductions
© artist or artist’s estate

API
artworks/12200

Walton Ford
10 works in the collection

View artist

On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

On the Hour projects can contain motion and sound. To respect your accessibility settings autoplay is disabled.