T.C. CANNON

Poor Immigrant

Date: 1970

Dimensions: 13.25" x 11.75” (sight) | 18.5” x 17.25” (framed)

Medium: Graphite on paper

Condition: Overall very good

Exhibited: 

– “Of God and Mortal Men: Masterworks by T.C. Cannon from the Nancy and Richard Bloch Collection”, Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ, October 7, 2017–April 15, 2018

Provenance: 

– Artist

– Private Collection, Santa Fe, NM

– Trotta-Bono Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA

TC Cannon’s graphite drawing reimagines General Custer – a symbol of American expansionism – through a contemporary lens. Rendered with exquisite detail, Custer is shown in iconic military attire, overlaid with the pop art-style text “Poor Immigrant.” The phrase challenges heroic myths, recasting Custer as an outsider and exposing the violent colonial legacy. Combining precise draftsmanship and bold text, Cannon invites viewers to reconsider history and the narratives that shape identity and power.