I Was Beatin' 'is Face

Ohio native and New York transplant George Bellows was drawn to physical confrontations and scrappy children as subjects. This drawing, which he created to accompany a story that appeared in the April 11, 1914, issue of Harper’s Weekly, combines these two interests. The illustration shows the aftermath of a fight between a Roman Catholic boy and a Jewish youth that has attracted a motley crowd representing a range of ages. A police officer breaks up the brawl, while an excited boy calls us to come closer for a better look. The setting beneath the elevated “El” train and near tenement housing reinforces the gritty nature of the subject. The artist’s vigorous, direct lines likewise reinforce its coarseness.