Checkers up at the Farm

Copied John Rogers, Checkers up at the Farm, patented 1875, painted plaster, 20 3⁄8 x 17 1⁄2 x 12 5⁄8 in. (51.9 x 44.6 x 32.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Rogers and Son, 1882.1.8
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Checkers up at the Farm
Artist
Date
patented 1875
Location
Dimensions
20 3⁄8 x 17 1⁄2 x 12 5⁄8 in. (51.9 x 44.6 x 32.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John Rogers and Son
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted plaster
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Figure group — family
  • Recreation — sport and play — checkers
  • Occupation — farm — farmer
Object Number
1882.1.8
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1882.1.8

Artwork Description

John Rogers created several groups that depicted people playing checkers. The first of these, Checker Players, was modeled in 1859 and received so much publicity that Rogers decided to devote all of his time to sculpting. Checkers up at the Farm was completed some fifteen years later and was Rogers’s second most popular piece, with a total sale of five thousand copies. The artist’s wife, Hattie, was the model for the farmer’s wife who watches the final moments of the game.