Aug 31 2012

One-Way Ticket: Illustrations by Jacob Lawrence

I love poems by Langston Hughes. I think that he may have been the first Black poet that I read as a child. I have a first-edition copy of his poetry book “One-Way Ticket.” It was published in 1949 but what I love most about the book are the illustrations by Jocob Lawrence (who is one of my favorite visual artists). It’s an embarrassment of riches. I have decided to share the six illustrations that are included in the book on the blog. All of them in some way speak to the prison industrial complex in my opinion.

Silhouette by Jacob Lawrence (1948)

One-Way Ticket by Jacob Lawrence (1948)

The Ballad of Margie Polite by Jacob Lawrence (1948)

Too Blue by Jacob Lawrence (1948)

Home in a Box by Jacob Lawrence (1948)

Graduation by Jacob Lawrence (1948)