Preview
Origin
American
Artist's Lifespan
1951-2024
Artist Biographical Information
Virginia Stroud (1951-2024) was a Cherokee-Muscogee Creek artist. From a young age, as early as seven, she developed an interest in art. She studied at Bacone College in Oklahoma, where she began painting, and later attended the University of Oklahoma. She found inspiration for her artwork through conversations with people. Stroud was a versatile artist, working in various mediums, including printmaking, ledger art, and illustrating and writing children’s books. Ledger art originates with Plains tribes and was traditionally created by men. By the early 19th century, women also began making Ledger art. This form of figurative art on cloth or paper often depicts family, historic events, and tribal identity in the work of female artists. Stroud aimed to amplify, preserve, and celebrate her heritage through her art.
Accession #
AG.2012.134
Date of Creation
1981
Date of Acquisition
2012
Description
This lithograph shows girls playing among the trees.
Medium
lithograph
Dimensions
15.5"x 19.5" (26.5"x33.5")
Location
45/2416
Signature
LL
Inscription
103/950
Collection
Wells Fargo
Framing
yes
Condition
excellent
Exhibit Label
Virginia Stroud’s For Girls Only depicts a group of girls playing outside among the trees and grass. In the center, figures hold babies, while another works with a cradleboard, an Indigenous baby carrier. Dolls rest on the grass at the foot of the figures. In the trees, girls climb while holding frogs. Their positions behind the trees convey a sense of childhood playfulness. The artwork’s style is figurative, with the figures’ features abstracted to emphasize color and shape. Each figure wears different clothing patterns and colors, some in blue and green, others in a red linear pattern.
References:
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Pearce, Richard. 2013. Women and Ledger Art: Four Contemporary Native American Artists. N.p.: University of Arizona Press.
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RSU Public TV, dir. 2021. Cherokee Artist Profiles-Virginia Stroud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBPwM7A_xlc.
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Staff Reports. 2024. “Respected Cherokee artist Virginia Stroud dies at age 73.” Cherokee Phoenix, November 19, 2024. https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/people/respected-cherokee-artist-virginia-stroud-dies-at-age-73/article_2c1efca0-a5f4-11ef-bd2c-878481e37af0.html.
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US Department of State. n.d. “Virginia Stroud.” Virginia Stroud – U.S. Department of State. https://art.state.gov/personnel/virginia_stroud/.