Samella Lewis — Together We Stand — Archive Lithograph (1997)
Samella Lewis — Together We Stand — Archive Lithograph (1997)
Couldn't load pickup availability
Original archive lithograph produced by Dr. Samella Lewis. Original unsigned, unnumbered, unlabeled lithograph offered directly from the Samella Lewis Estate.
Ships securely in a protective package. Certificate of Authenticity included.
Share
Why This Work Matters
Created by Dr. Samella Lewis in 1997, Together We Stand is one of the artist's most ambitious original lithographs. Rather than focusing on a single figure, Lewis constructs a multigenerational gathering centered on words from Maya Angelou's poem Our Grandmothers, transforming the work into both an image and a declaration.
Drawing on her memories of growing up in Louisiana during the Jim Crow era, Lewis presents the figures not as individual portraits but as embodiments of shared conviction, endurance, and collective responsibility. The young girl at the center—widely understood to represent the artist herself—links personal memory to a broader historical narrative carried across generations.
While the work is often associated with the signed, numbered edition of 60 and later hand-embellished examples, the archive also preserved a small number of original unsigned, unnumbered lithographs produced by the artist outside the published edition. Offered directly from the Samella Lewis Publishing Archive, these original archive lithographs provide collectors with a documented connection to one of Lewis's most significant graphic works.
Provenance & Publication
Year
1997
Copyright
© 1997 Dr. Samella Lewis. All rights reserved.
Produced By
Original lithograph produced by Dr. Samella Lewis.
Published under the authority
Published under the authority of the Samella Lewis Estate
Source Archive
Offered directly from the Samella Lewis Estate.
These original unsigned, unnumbered, unlabeled lithographs were retained within the archive and are offered directly by the estate.
Publication History
Together We Stand was conceived and produced by Dr. Samella Lewis in 1997. Alongside the published edition of 60 and subsequent hand-embellished examples, Lewis also retained a limited group of original unsigned, unnumbered lithographs within her publishing archive.
Acquiring one of these original archive lithographs provides a documented connection to the artist's original studio production preserved by the Samella Lewis Estate.
About The Artist
Dr. Samella Lewis (1923–2022) was an artist, educator, art historian, publisher, curator, and founder of the Museum of African American Art. Often referred to as the "Godmother of African American Art," she devoted her career to documenting, preserving, publishing, and promoting the work of Black artists.
Working across painting, printmaking, drawing, and publishing, Lewis produced an influential body of work rooted in history, lived experience, and cultural memory. Her work is represented in the collections of major museums throughout the United States, including LACMA, the Hammer Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and many others.
Product Details
Artist: Dr. Samella Lewis
Title: Together We Stand
Medium: Original lithograph
Offering: Original Archive Lithograph
Dimensions: 22 1/8 × 30 inches
Condition: Premium original impression. Well preserved with a clean image area and strong color. Individually inspected prior to shipment.
Framing: Unframed
Documentation: Certificate of Authenticity included.
Availability
These original archive lithographs were produced by Dr. Samella Lewis and preserved within the Samella Lewis Publishing Archive. Unlike the signed edition of 60 or later hand-embellished examples, these original impressions were never signed, numbered, or labeled by the artist.
Availability is therefore limited to the remaining archive-held lithographs preserved by the estate.
Shipping & Care
Each original archive lithograph is individually inspected, documented, and carefully packaged to museum standards before shipment.
Your lithograph ships securely in a protective package and includes a Certificate of Authenticity issued by the Samella Lewis Estate.
Shipping timelines and return information are provided at checkout.