Easter Morning 1940

Olin Dows made this print, called "Easter Morning," in 1940. Dows was a muralist and printmaker who worked for the New Deal art programs. This image depicts a rural Black church, filled with congregants listening to the preacher. The work reflects the artist’s interest in capturing scenes of American life, and it speaks to the importance of the Black church as a center of community and spiritual life, especially in the South. Note the large stove dominating the center of the image, suggesting how the church provides not only spiritual but physical warmth. Dows’s style reflects the influence of Regionalism, a movement that favored accessible, realistic depictions of everyday subjects. Understanding the social context of this work requires research into the history of the Black church, the Regionalist movement, and the New Deal art programs. These intersecting histories can help us interpret the image more fully.