The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

United States Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins

United States Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins

1940
(American, 1904–1971)
America
gelatin silver print
Image: 17.1 x 12 cm (6 3/4 x 4 3/4 in.); Paper: 17.7 x 12.6 cm (6 15/16 x 4 15/16 in.)
Gift of William and Margaret Lipscomb 2021.212
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet.

Description

Perkins, a recognized expert in workplace safety and the health of workers, was appointed Secretary of Labor by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. A tireless advocate for the working person, she helped craft the Social Security Act and Fair Labor Standards Act and advocated for (and saw become law) a forty-hour work week, unemployment compensation, minimum wage, and other important policies. Bourke-White depicted Perkins seated at a desk piled with papers, but she is caught in contemplation rather than action.
  • ?-2021
    William S. and Margaret Lipscomb, Shaker Heights, OH, given to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    December 6, 2021
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=United States Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins|url=false|author=Margaret Bourke-White|year=1940|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2021.212