Fred Becker

Birth of John Henry
1936

Intricate black and white etching of a fantastical underwater scene with a grinning figure and marine life.

Not on view

Date
1936

Classification
Prints

Medium
Wood engraving

Dimensions
Sheet: 11 5/16 × 8 3/4in. (28.7 × 22.2 cm) Image: 6 × 4 1/2in. (15.2 × 11.4 cm)

Accession number
93.15.3

Edition
Edition possibly 15

Credit line
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Katherine Schmidt Shubert Purchase Fund and the Print Committee

Rights and reproductions
© artist or artist’s estate

API
artworks/8327

Part of a series:

John Henry Suite

10 works

A black and white woodcut print titled "Black River Country" by artist Paul Becker, depicting a stylized landscape with a sun or moon with radiating lines in the sky, swirling clouds, abstract trees, and a figure in a boat on a river. The image has a dark foreground with white line details and is mounted on a larger, aged paper with the artist's name and title at the bottom.

Vintage book cover for "John Henry and His Carvings" with stylized black and white illustration by Becker.

A black and white print titled "Johnny Mercy Looming O'er Us" by Earl B. Dickerson, featuring a stylized figure with an exaggerated, textured hairstyle standing over a cityscape with various patterns and a small figure in the foreground. The print is signed by the artist and has a handwritten name, "Lesley Coburn," at the bottom.

A black and white print of a stylized hand with intricate patterns and symbols etched into the palm and fingers, surrounded by a dark border. The artwork is signed at the bottom with the text "garden jungle hand" followed by a signature. The paper on which the print is made appears aged with slight discoloration around the edges.

A black and white print depicting a stylized scene with two human figures and a bird-like creature. The figure on the left has a heart shape on their chest and is facing the bird-like creature, which appears to be speaking to them. The background figure seems to be an outline of a person with a wavy line suggesting speech or breath. The artwork has a caption at the bottom reading "Human Energy & the Witch Woman" by P. Robles. The paper shows signs of aging around the edges.

Fred Becker
11 works in the collection

View artist

Fred Becker

Birth of John Henry 1936

Fred Becker 11 works in the collection

Birth of John Henry
1936

Fred Becker
11 works in the collection