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I imagined that the idea for enslaved folks to paint the doors ocean blue was passed around as people were moved around the Southern States during enslavement. Blue doors are said to ward off evil spirits.

The narrative on this piece imagines the formula and when to apply it being handed down by a new person from a different region and being repeated and applied.

15×45 image development, yard, thread, leather and printed text with thread accents. Original Narrative text by Jas. C. Mardis

Photo Credit: Title: Old Negro (former slave) Willis Winn with horn with which slaves were called. Near Marshall, Texas Creator(s): Lee Russell, 1903-1986, photographer, U.S. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black & White Photographs