Strange and Bitter American History

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

This is a mixed media collage by Juan Sánchez as a tribute to his ancestors. The collage is placed on a wood panel which was first laid with a gray, textured background. Covering the gray background are large, red circles, resembling blood drops or platelets. Inside each red circle is an image of Sánchez’s baby daughter crying. In the center of the collage is a large and wide blue/green cross comprised of photographic postcards of lynchings. A thin, orange cross is layered over the larger cross. At the intersection of the cross is a dark blue frame with gold accents. Framed within is an inversed color U.S. flag – with a red canton and black and green stripes – and two eyes at the center. Multiple black oil pastel circles were drawn around the frame and intersection of the cross.

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