Walter McKenzie
Object Details
- Artist
- Phillip Ratner
- Date
- c. 1977
- Medium
- graphite on paper
- Dimensions
- Frame: 18 1/4 × 15 1/4 × 3/4 in. (46.4 × 38.8 × 1.9 cm)
- Caption
- Walter McKenzie (1876 – 1970) served a multiracial clientele in his carriage-making and sign-painting business. A resident of Barry Farm/Hillsdale, McKenzie displayed artistic skill at a young age and received art lessons from a local artist. He opened his first business on Nichols (now Martin Luther King Jr.) Avenue where he hand-painted signs, carriages, and later, trucks for local companies. McKenzie moved his shop to Sumner Road around 1909 and was remembered fondly for helping neighborhood children.
- This portrait emphasizes McKenzie’s age through his wrinkles, jowls, and expressive eyebrows.
- In 1977, the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum’s Board of Directors voted to include McKenzie’s portrait in “Phil Ratner’s Washington,” an exhibition honoring current and former Anacostia residents who contributed to the civic life of the community.
- Accession Number
- 2014.0028.0014
- Type
- drawing
- See more items in
- Anacostia Community Museum Collection
- Data Source
- Anacostia Community Museum
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Record ID
- acm_2014.0028.0014
