Farmer and his wife looking over their land

Object NameDrawing

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

Datec. 1940s

Originu.s.a.

MediumPaper; colored pencil

Dimensions10 x 13 3/4 in. (25.4 x 34.9 cm)

ClassificationsDrawings

Credit LinePurchased by University Museums from Mary Petersen by the Christian Petersen Memorial Fund. In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberum92.188a

Status

Not on view

Collections

Label TextPetersen drew a man standing with a young woman as they gaze together over a broad expanse of land with cattle in a pasture and a handsome farmhouse and barn. It is the very epitome of Iowa with its heartland stability, productivity, and healthful, long-term relationships. The young woman leans back against the man who reaches around to take her right hand in his. Their physical closemess and obvious contentment might represent the sort of relationships to which soldiers longed to return or have the chance to create after the war. The man is dressed in overalls and a broad-brimmed hat that identify him as a farmer, the quintessential Jeffersonian American. His face is hidden by the head of the woman whose face is seen in profile. Typical of Petersen’s imagery, the emotional tone is subdued and not dramatic. The drawing is dated partly by the hairstyle and dress of the young woman which suggests the late 1940s or possibly the early 1950s.

Locations