Bill Traylor, Animals
Bill Traylor - Wikipedia
Adding the artist’s information because I think it’s worth knowing!
Bill Traylor was born into slavery in 1853, and went on to live most of his life as a sharecropper. He was a self-taught and prolific artist whose works sometimes contained hidden symbolism regarding his opposition to Jim Crow laws.
Most of his artworks were produced late in life when he was living on the streets in Montgomery, Alabama.
There he was “discovered” by a white artist who brought him to the attention of the art establishment, and Traylor’s works began to be exhibited in the early 1940s, but regrettably he never really saw the profits of the white artist world’s budding interest in folk art, and he died in 1949.
His family have since successfully negotiated with his discoverer, Charles Shannon, to have some of Traylor’s works returned to them, and put out a statement crediting Shannon with bringing Traylor to the attention of museums.
