White paper flower made by Herman Wallace while incarcerated
date: label: Date
content: after 1972
name: label: Created by
content: Herman Wallace, American, 1941 - 2013
label: Subject of
content: Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, American, founded 1835
notes: label: Caption
content: According to the artist Maria Hinds, who collaborated with Herman Wallace and the photographer Matthew Thompson on the project Surviving Solitary, Wallace loved flowers, particularly roses. He once shared a story about trying to grow flowers and plants in his cell which failed miserably due to the lack of natural light and soil. He did manage to get a potato to grow some roots in a cup of water. This rose was made by manipulating pieces of paper which were dyed or colored using whatever pens and markers he had access to. The detailed leaves were cut out using a (contraband) razor blade and nail clippers. Wallace gifted a number of similar paper flowers to supporters over the years, one of the many ways he continued to engage in social and political life despite his confinement.
label: Description
content: A white handmade paper rosebud flower made by Herman Wallace while incarcerated at Angola Prison. The flower is constructed of white paper wrapped in a concentric pattern and folded to resemble petals, a green paper stem with intricately detailed green leaves and brown thorns made of tiny bits of twisted paper.
place: label: Place used
content: Angola, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Craftsmanship
label: Topic
content: Design
label: Topic
content: Nature
label: Topic
content: Prisons
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Herman Wallace Archival Collection
label: Classification
content: Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Maria Hinds
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2018.36.1.15.3
objectType: label: Type
content: paperwork
label: Type
content: flowers (plants)
label: Type
content: make-dos
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: paper (fiber product) cloth and
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 10 1/16 × 1 9/16 × 1 9/16 in. (25.5 × 4 × 4 cm)