Door Knocker c. 1940

Wayne White painted this 'Door Knocker' sometime in the 20th century. It's a close-up of a bronze door knocker with an eagle motif, symbols so deeply embedded in American iconography that it might as well be stitched into the flag itself. But what does this symbol mean to those who were historically excluded from the promises of liberty and justice? For many, the idea of American freedom is not a universal truth, but a complex and often contradictory experience shaped by race, gender, and class. This image asks us to think about who gets to claim ownership of national symbols and what it feels like to knock on a door that may not open for you. In what ways do such symbols serve to unify and in what ways do they exclude? The door knocker becomes a symbol of the literal and metaphorical barriers that persist.