The Boss

1932

Prentice H. Polk American, 1898-1984

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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About the Artwork

Title The Boss

Artwork Date 1932

Artist Prentice H. Polk

Life Dates 1898-1984

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Gelatin silver print

Dimensions Sheet: 9 1/2 × 7 3/8 inches (24.1 × 18.7 cm) Image: 9 7/8 × 7 7/8 inches (25.1 × 20 cm)

Classification Photographs

Department African American Art

Credit Gift of Delano Willis

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. F1988.119

Markings

Signed Signed in ink, lower right: P H Polk

Provenance

1989-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Lee, Key Jo. Perceptual Drift: Black Art and an Ethics of Looking. Exh. cat., The Cleveland Musem of Art. New Haven and London, 2022, pp. 76-77, p. 77 (fig. 44).

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