“The Snuff Dipper” painting by Archibald Motley, Jr. depicts an older Black woman in a blue and black checkered blouse.

Gray hair peeks out from her black feathered hat, and a straw or toothpick is tucked in the corner of her mouth.

Today, it may seem like a simple portrait, but in 1928, it was a revolutionary piece of art. Back then, demeaning images of Black people were more common.

“There’s dignity in this everyday woman, just like you would paint the Mona Lisa,” said Danny Dunson, director of curatorial services at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, which owns the painting.

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center/Provided

The piece is currently on view as part of “ Paris in Black: Internationalism and the Black Renaissance ,” which opened at the museu

See Full Page