American Costume

Initially appearing to be a drawing or print, this work is actually composed of the artist’s thumbprints, directly impressed upon brown paper. With them, David Hammons depicts an individual of African descent. The figure’s facial features and the distinctive textures of their hair and dress imbue the portrait with an exaggerated “primitiveness,” engaging widely held stereotypes about Black people. Juxtaposed with the title, the image challenges ideas of what being an American means and who it includes.