Rockwell Kent, N.A. 1882-1971.
Dirty Deborah (Greenland). 1933. Lithograph. Burne-Jones 96. 8 7/8 x 6 5/8 (sheet 12 5/8 x 11 1/2). Edition 150. Illustrated: Kent, Salamina; Chegodaev, Rockwell Kent. A fine impression printed on Rives wove paper. Signed and titled in pencil. $975.
Silhouetted against a vast northern summer sky, a statuesque Inuit (northern Canadian native) woman, dressed in shorts and boots, casts watches a young child as they walk together toward a rustic dwelling in the background. Rockwell Kent composed his image to monumentalize the mother, emphasizing her protective strength as she guides the toddler forward--toward a self-sufficient life in a harsh landscape. A poignant image of the parent-child relationship, it presents the universal theme of a young child learning to walk as a quietly heroic event. Dirty Deborah was a product of Kent's 1931-32 sojourn in Greenland, and its incongruous title probably refers to the derogatory outlook of Greenland's Danish governing authorities toward the region's native inhabitants.
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