According to Peter Nesbett and Michelle DuBois, the present work is "one of at least four sketches done on location at Sidney Frauwirth's textile mill in Bedford, Massachusetts." (
Jacob Lawrence: Paintings, Drawings, and Murals (1935-1999), A Catalogue Raisonné, Seattle, Washington, 2000, p. 243.)
“…definitely his major message throughout his career was that, through continuous struggle, things would get better. He used the word ‘struggle’ a great deal. It was striking.”
– Michelle Dubois, in an interview with Christie’s, February 2014.