Drought

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

Date1938

OriginUSA

MediumPlaster

Dimensions21 3/4 x 7 x 13 in. (55.2 x 17.8 x 33 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

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

Object numberum85.49

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: In the 1930s, Christian Petersen and his wife, Charlotte, traveled to Kentucky and surrounding states, an experience that deeply influenced the sculptor’s work. This sculpture captures the devastating effects of the extreme floods and droughts that plagued the Tennessee Valley during that period, emphasizing the vulnerability of human existence. It portrays a gaunt, malnourished mother whose inability to nourish her starving child is evident. Her vacant expression conveys a profound sense of despair, reflecting the loss of hope for both life and the future. The poem, titled “Drought,” was inspired by the sculpture of the same name and was written by J.C. Cunningham, a close friend of Christian Petersen. Capturing the sense of hopelessness and the desperate wait for rain was a challenge, and it took Cunningham two years to finalize the poem. Drought by J.C. Cunningham The brave child Hope lies starving on the mother’s knees. Her shrunken breasts have failed When empty skies Mocked back the cry for rain. Both day and night The cattle moan For drink and meager forks of hay. High, poised, and ugly, buzzards circle slowly, Ready to drop like plummets when some beast Staggering falls, never to rise again. The dried-up corn breaks from its roots, The burning winds suck heat From pastures dry as parchment from a desert tomb.

PeriodDepression Era

Published ReferencesDes Moines Tribune, Nov. 26, 1942; Wallace's' Farmer, Col 68, Issue 1, 1943; Appears in The Desert Magazine, 1946 alongside a poem "Drought" by J.C. Cunningham; Olson, Gwen (1954) "Aesthetic Fingertips," The Iowa Homemaker: Vol. 34 : No. 7 , Article 3.

Locations