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Dress Shop is a joyful and powerful tribute to the working class, as personified by friends and family, particularly Fasanella’s mother. In this work, Fasanella depicts a large garment factory with a cutaway front to show the entire interior teeming with workers. The shop itself was inspired by a lifetime of experience in the garment industry, dating back to Fasanella’s childhood when his mother brought him to her Chatham Square dress shop so that she could keep an eye on him while she worked. The rhythm and process of work expressed in Dress Shop clearly indicates an intimate knowledge of the subject. The windows of the shop carry headlines and images of the major news stories of the 1960s to show that the workers were aware of the events and issues of their time.
Exhibition History"Ralph Fasanella," New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, MA, March 6, 1986 - May 5, 1986.
“Folk Art from the Collection of the New York State Historical Association,” Museum of American Folk Art, NY, January 11, 2000 – February 18, 2000.
"Ralph Fasanella's America," New York Historical Society, New York, NY, March 1, 2002 - July 15, 2002.
"Ralph Fasanella's America," The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Orlando, FL, August 15, 2002 - November 17, 2002.
"Ralph Fasanella's America," Statue of Liberty National Monument/Ellis Island Immigration Museum, New York, NY, July 19, 2003 - September 26, 2003.
"Race, Class, Gender [does not equal]," American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD, September 30, 2005 - March 9, 2006.
Artist
Ralph Fasanella
(1914 - 1997)
Dress Shop
Date1972
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsSight: 44 3/4 × 92 1/8 in. (113.7 × 234 cm)
Object numberN0003.1983
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Museum Purchase
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label Text“I loved these people. They were a part of me. I think the painting shows a feeling for people, how they live, what they do. That’s what the painting is all about. Those people, I know them all.” -Ralph FasanellaDress Shop is a joyful and powerful tribute to the working class, as personified by friends and family, particularly Fasanella’s mother. In this work, Fasanella depicts a large garment factory with a cutaway front to show the entire interior teeming with workers. The shop itself was inspired by a lifetime of experience in the garment industry, dating back to Fasanella’s childhood when his mother brought him to her Chatham Square dress shop so that she could keep an eye on him while she worked. The rhythm and process of work expressed in Dress Shop clearly indicates an intimate knowledge of the subject. The windows of the shop carry headlines and images of the major news stories of the 1960s to show that the workers were aware of the events and issues of their time.
Exhibition History"Ralph Fasanella," New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, MA, March 6, 1986 - May 5, 1986.
“Folk Art from the Collection of the New York State Historical Association,” Museum of American Folk Art, NY, January 11, 2000 – February 18, 2000.
"Ralph Fasanella's America," New York Historical Society, New York, NY, March 1, 2002 - July 15, 2002.
"Ralph Fasanella's America," The Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Orlando, FL, August 15, 2002 - November 17, 2002.
"Ralph Fasanella's America," Statue of Liberty National Monument/Ellis Island Immigration Museum, New York, NY, July 19, 2003 - September 26, 2003.
"Race, Class, Gender [does not equal]," American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD, September 30, 2005 - March 9, 2006.
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