Flood

Object NameSculpture

Artist / Maker Christian Petersen (Danish - American, 1885 - 1961)

Date1938

OriginUSA

MediumPainted plaster cast

Dimensions16 1/2 x 9 in. (41.9 x 22.9 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of the Iowa State College Class of 1919. In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberum85.48

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: In 1938, Christian Petersen and his family traveled to Kentucky, where he engaged with rural communities, observing both their celebrations and hardships. During this time, the federal government was planning the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a significant public works initiative designed to control flooding and provide electricity to the southeastern United States. Petersen’s sculpture Flood captures a woman emerging from a pool of water, her legs encased by the heavy fabric that clings to her form, demonstrating the effects of water’s force. She holds a small child in her arms, gazing back over her left shoulder. Created in the aftermath of the devastating 1936 Mississippi River flood, this sculpture likely alludes to the catastrophic floods that Kentucky residents endured before the TVA’s intervention, reflecting both the personal and communal impact of such natural disasters.

PeriodDepression Era

Published ReferencesIowa Homemaker, Nov. 1942; Des Moines Tribune, Nov. 26, 1942; Wallace's' Farmer, Col 68, Issue 1, 1943; Olson, Gwen (1954) "Aesthetic Fingertips," The Iowa Homemaker: Vol. 34 : No. 7, Article 3; Battle Creek Enquirer (Battle Creek, Michigan), Apr. 4, 1971.

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