Thanksgiving, Puerto Rico
Lou Stoumen, American, 1917 - 1991
negative 1942; print about 1980
Gelatin silver print
Image: 7 1/2 × 5 11/16 in. (19 × 14.5 cm)
Sheet: 9 15/16 × 7 7/8 in. (25.3 × 20 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Marina and Andrew E. Lewin, Class of 1981
2019.103.5
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
20th century
Object Name
Photograph
Research Area
Photograph
On view
Inscriptions
Stamped, on reverse, center, in black ink: [in rectangle] Certified Negative and Print made by / Lou Stoumen / From the Artist's Estate
Label
Like Baltermants’s Breakfast at the Bagelworks, hanging nearby, photographer Lou Stoumen’s image documents government employees and their working conditions. In this case, these soldiers, far from home, do not live in the lap of luxury but rather enjoy their meals out of their mess kit dishes, designed to be compact and portable. The men share a toast with their canteen cups across a makeshift woodplank table, their cheerful, boisterous expressions lending this photograph a raw immediacy, as if we have stumbled upon this moment. In the absence of an abundant Thanksgiving feast or fancy dishware, this celebration tells of the joy that can be found in simple companionship.
From the 2026 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 129, A Seat at the Table, curated by Emeline Moss ‘26, Erbe Intern
Exhibition History
A Space for Dialogue 129, A Seat at the Table, Emeline Moss ‘26, Erbe Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 7 - May 3, 2026.
Provenance
Acquired by Marina and Andrew E. Lewin, New York, New York, date unknown; given to present collection, 2019.
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