Lillian Russell, Suffragette Costume Design

Robert Indiana (1928 – 2018, American) “Lillian Russell” (1977) is a hand signed, limited edition (123/150) lithograph on paper by the renowned Pop Artist. This lithograph by Indiana is after his original 1966 cut paper composition from ‘The Mother of Us All’ Series, made for Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson’s 1947 opera. It features the artist’s flamboyant costume design for actress Lillian Russell with a banner across her torso reading her name. In pencil, the work is designated 123/150 in the lower left. It is signed by hand and dated to the lower right, the sheet measures 24 x 20 inches, and with mat and frame, it is 28 x 22.5 inches. (Lillian Russell was an American actress and singer who advocated women’s suffrage along with her mother who worked with Susan B. Anthony.)

2020 is the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting the right to vote to women.