Accession Number
1950/1.100

Title
Checkers up at the Farm

Artist(s)
John Rogers

Object Creation Date
1875

Medium & Support
painted plaster

Dimensions
20 ⅛ in x 17 ¼ in x 11 ⅝ in (51.12 cm x 43.82 cm x 29.53 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Subject matter
Checkers up at the Farm, like many 19th-century works focuses on a domestic scene that highlights happier aspects of American life. It is a jovial genre-scene, which like many of John Rogers’ works tells a story and is infused with sentiment and a touch of humor. This piece depicts two men playing a game of checkers. The man on the right appears to be winning. John Rogers worked directly in clay from live models (often his wife, children and friends). He mass-produced affordable plaster copies of his most popular pieces, and his works soon became a parlor-necessity in Victorian America.

Physical Description
Plaster sculpture depicting two men sitting on stools playing checkers using a barrel as a table with a woman holding a baby standing behind them.

Primary Object Classification
Sculpture

Primary Object Type
casting

Additional Object Classification(s)
Sculpture

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
barrels (containers)
basket
cards (information artifacts)
men (male humans)
seated
standing
women (female humans)