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Artwork Facts
Thomas Hart Benton
1889-1975
The Wreck of the Ole '97
1943
egg tempera on gessoed masonite
28 1/2 x 44 1/2 inches
signed and dated lower left
Gift of the Benwood Foundation
1976.3.2
Copyright T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts./ UMB Bank Trustee/ Licensed to VAGA, New York, NY.
East Wing: The Depression and Beyond (Gallery 17)
Analysis
Thomas Hart Benton collected folk music, and, like many Americans then and now, he wanted to preserve our national heritage. So it's not surprising to find an American folk song at the heart of his painting. The Wreck of the Ole 97 is based on a real incident, a devastating West Virginia mail train wreck along the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1903. The train's engineer, Steve Broady, was unfamiliar with the route but determined to make up for lost time and took a bend too quickly - causing an accident that claimed 13 lives
