Elizabeth Catlett’s "I have always worked hard in America"

1946

Catlett depicted working women in America.

While studying printmaking in Mexico City, Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) completed The Black Woman, a series of 15 prints showcasing the lives and perspectives of Black women. Spanning scenes of agriculture and domestic work, the series explores the complex ways Black women are visually represented. In I have always worked hard in America, Catlett depicts three domestic workers using rags to clean, showing the physical strain working-class Black women often endure. In this print, and throughout the series, Catlett presents Black women as full individuals, not just laborers, offering a nuanced picture of working Black women’s lives.