17

Charles White

(1919-1979)

Awaiting His Return.

Lithograph on cream wove paper, 1945.
Signed, titled, dated, numbered 5/20 and dedicated "(To Mayme With Love)" in pencil, lower margin. Printed by the artist at the Taller de Gráfica Popular, Mexico City. Gedeon Ea4.
Image: 15 3/4 x 12 1/4 in. (40 x 31.1 cm.), full margins.

  • Provenance:
    Gift from the artist, private collection, Chicago.
    Thence by descent, private collection, New York.
  • Notes:
    An excellent, rich impression of this important print, Awaiting His Return is the first of four lithographs Charles White printed while in Mexico. White alternatively titled others impressions of this print Hope for the Future, Waiting and Mother. We have not found another individually numbered impression of this print – the edition is typically indicated as "25 prints" or "Ed/25" by White.

    This powerful image is a scarce depiction of a wartime African American subject. White depicts an African American woman seated under a banner of the Gold Star, a celebration of a husband or son actively serving in the armed forces. Other impressions of this important lithograph are in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the David C. Driskell Collection, University of Maryland, the Howard University Gallery of Art, the Artist Students League, New York and the Primas Family Collection.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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April 2, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
New York, NY, US

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